Authors No Kuni
by Wherever Girl
Summary: When Vincent, Liz, Zippy, and Zeke end up in the 1950's, they follow the young wizard, Oliver, to the parallel world of Ni No Kuni. However, their trip is anything but a dream, as a dark warlock plans to destroy the Pure-Hearted One, Black Alchemist, and their friends. Now they must fulfill the Prophecy of Light, or let both their worlds fall into darkness.
1. A New Vacation Spot

I COME, BARING A NEW STORY! ...uh oh...

*ducks onslaught of veggies, fruits, sandwiches, power-tools, furniture, and stuffed animals*

...Okay, did I mention this is more of a 'present', for my boyfriend/best friend, _Fangface the Second_?

*awkward pauses as assaulters meekly back off*

Right. Anyway, since he was the one to introduce me to Ni No Kuni (which many of you figured out I've become obsessed with) I decided to write a little fic where we, along with Tracker78 and Anti-Twilight Forever (whom is also a big fan), have a little adventure with the characters of the game. Included also will be 'soul-mates' of some other friends of ours, so no one feels left-out.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, FF2! Hope you and everyone else featured enjoys!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ni No Kuni, or Doctor Who, or Transformers, or Fangface, or any other show/character that may be mentioned or cameo'd in this fic. NOW ON WITH IT!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_*wum wum wum wum*_

There came a hum in the city of London, as an old-fashioned blue Police Call Box appeared out of nowhere, in the year 2014. Out stepped four people, consisting of two young men and two young women.

The first man looked to be 22, had dark hair, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, purple mask, long torn dark-brown coat, black jeans, combat boots, and had a utility belt holding a wand and a sonic-screwdriver. His name was Vincent.

The second man looked more like a girl, and seemed to be 13 (but was much older than he looked) with black hair that came down his neck, wearing a black ski-cap with a gray stripe around it, a black shirt, gray skinny-jeans with a chain-belt, and black sneakers. His name was Ezekiel, though everyone called him 'Zeke'.

The first young woman was in her 30's, with light-brown wavy hair that had recently been cut short, wore a cowboy hat, sleeveless teal T-shirt, torn jeans, black boots, and was carrying a shotgun strapped to her back. Her name was Liz.

The second young woman was 23... but looked to be a 13-year-old boy with short black hair, wearing a white backwards-cap with a marker-drawn cross above the bill, white T-shirt with a red jacket, jeans which had to be rolled up at the ankles, and white sneakers. She also carried a machete. Her name was Zee Isaiah Pugnacious (ZIP for short), but everyone called her 'Zippy'.

Vincent, Zippy, and Liz all turned and gave Zeke harsh looks after they stepped out of the TARDIS. "Is it too late to say 'I'm sorry'?" The latter gulped.

"Yes." The other three replied, then walked on.

Zeke followed. "Look, guys, I didn't mean to cause Armageddon on the planet Ood! ...And if they hadn't built that big red button in the first place, it would have been avoided- that thing was begging to be pushed!"

"It still doesn't cut the fact that we had to travel through time, to five minutes after we left, because you took three weeks out of our vacation time!" Zippy snapped, pushing Zeke.

"Why didn't you just go back in time and prevent me from pushing the button, then?"

"Because we'd have to transport you to another planet to do so... and if we just left you there, chances are you'd blow it up!"

"Oh like YOU never did the same thing! Remember what happened last New Years Eve?"

"It doesn't matter now, guys." Vincent sighed. "What matters is that we saved the planet from destruction... and came back to restart our vacation,"

"Yeah, because God knows we need one," Liz replied, stretching her back. "What with Vincent's busy year in college, WG's babysitting, my problems with my past jobs, and Zeke's... constant boredom due to not having a life... we need to find a place where we can just relax."

"...I do too have a life..." Zeke muttered.

"Quite right." Vincent responded to Liz's statement, then rubbed his hands together. "So! What shall we do? Go get some sea-salt ice-cream? Go to Six Flags? See what's new at Hogwarts?"

"How about we head to that Anime Con in Chicago? I heard Rob Paulsen is going to make an appearance," Zippy suggested.

"HECK YES!" They headed back to the TARDIS, filing in, and with a low hum the machine disappeared.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Little did the group realize they were being watched. "So, that's the one who killed my soul-mate, is it?" a raspy voice asked, as two hooded figures looked into a mist, that reflected an image of Vincent. _

_"Your second soul-mate, I believe. Your first one passed away, moments before your new one was born," The second figure replied, his voice more calm and collect. "A new soul-mate always replaces another, lest the link between two souls is broken,"_

_"Thank you, Cobayne, I didn't know that!" the raspy figure's tone was sarcastic. "But who is the soul-mate to this lad?"_

_"I do not know. He comes from a time far from ours, let alone another world. That... mechanism of his seems to be able to jump worlds, even time itself- without the use of magic, it seems."_

_"So there is a chance he could come to this world..."_

_"If he knows it exists,"_

_The raspy figure raised a clawed hand, tapping a claw on the stone table as if pondering. "Best not to take the chance, don't you think?"_

_The second figure nodded, taking out a wand with a crystal on the end of it. "Yes, my liege,"_

_"See to it they're disposed of..." the raspy figure waved his clawed hand, having another misty-image appear, this one of another boy- with brown-red hair, blue eyes, wearing a yellow T-shirt with jeans. "So they do not cross paths with our other... obstacle," _

_The second figure pointed his wand at the mist, which showed the others climbing into the TARDIS, and the wand began to glow, the mist around the image going from lime-green to blood-red._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Inside the TARDIS, everyone was going through a trunk full of costumes. "Lets see, what should we go as this time? _Black Butler_ cast? _Kingdom Hearts? Accel World_?" Zeke pondered out loud.

"Nah, we did those for the last conventions," Zippy replied.

"How about _Bleach_? I'd love to go as Rukia," Liz suggested.

"We'll have to pick up some costumes," Vincent replied.

*Kssthunk!*

The TARDIS gave a lurch, just then, causing everyone to fall back as an alarm blared, and red lights flashed. "Oh, crap! Zippy, what did you do?!" Liz demanded.

"I didn't touch anything! You know I hate messing with advanced technology!" Zippy retorted, then turned to Zeke. "What did you touch?!"

"I didn't touch anything, either! Vincent, what's going on?!" Zeke cried, turning to Vincent who stumbled up the stairs to the TARDIS' control-panel.

"Something must have breached the system!" Vincent replied, trying to fix the problem. "But... that's impossible! I updated this thing's security last month, after Einstein tried to hi-jack it again!"

"Well SOMETHING hacked into it, obviously!" Zippy shouted. "I told you to go with AVG!"

"What can we do?!" Liz asked, stumbling up beside Vincent.

"Simple- HANG ON!" Vincent cried out. "We're about to CRASH!"

The TARDIS swirled throughout the fabric of time, until in a flash it appeared somewhere else, falling through a dark sky, and crashing into an open field.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Three Hours Later... _

Everyone stumbled out of the TARDIS, dazed but not too bruised. "Okay... what the fluff was THAT all about?" Zeke was the first to ask.

"Call it a hunch... but I think someone or something tried to kill us," Vincent replied, being the last to walk out. "The good news is, the TARDIS is working fine again... the bad news is, we're going to have to wait to use it, until we figure out just what exactly caused it to flip out on us like that."

"Any clues?" Zippy asked.

Vincent shook his head. "None. I didn't find any viruses in the system, no interior or exterior damages were found, and the radar didn't pick up any signs of attackers."

"Maybe it was just a glitch, then."

Vincent and Zippy gave Zeke glares. "The TARDIS _never_ has glitches," Zippy snarled.

Zeke shrank back. "...my mistake..."

Liz looked around, seeing that the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, casting a glow on a lake. "Well, I guess we could vacation here for a while, until we figure out what exactly happened," she suggested. "Doesn't seem like too harmful a place,"

They began walking, Vincent locking up the TARDIS just to make sure no one tried to do any damage to it. The group found a highway and began walking, seeing a sign up ahead that read:

_Welcome to Motorville- Drive safely!_

"Motorville? What kind of town is Motorville?" Liz asked, turning to her comrades... then gave an awkward pause.

Vincent, Zippy, and Zeke had suddenly developed large smiles, and wide eyes filled with excitement. "The kind that'll give us the best vacation EVER!" Zeke exclaimed, and the trio rushed forth into town.

Liz blinked, but followed. As excited as her friends were, she was debating on whether or not to be excited too... or cautious.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_"You fool!" the raspy figure snarled, smacking the other figure. "You were supposed to dispose of them! Instead, you've lead them right to us!"_

_"Calm yourself, master." Cobayne replied, his tone still steady despite being slapped. "They do not know of us- they could not figure out what caused their machine to crash... nor will they realize the danger they will encounter, if they are to come to our world." the figure waved his hand, making the mist show an image of the group. "I sense a weakness within two of them, and the last two are already in a weakened state due to some... heaviness within their hearts."_

_"And you believe they will not stand a chance? What if they are to find the Pure-Hearted One? Tell me, Cobayne, what are we to do then, hmm?"_

_The second figure only smirked. "Destroy them all at once,"_

_"Hmph. You speak with too much confidence,"_

_"Yes... but keep in mind, the Pure-Hearted One has a weakness too. A weakness that shall be revealed within due time..."_

_"For your sake, you had better hope."_

_With that, the mist faded, leaving the room pitch black. _

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Yeah, I didn't want to steal too much from the first game... but I think I did by accident, what with the villain's intro... Anyway, looks like we're jumping right into the plot! Onward, I say!

Review, don't flame, and I hope everyone (especially you, FF2) are enjoying this so far!


	2. Making Plans

Shall we get a view of our other main characters? I think we shall.

Also, since they never gave us the ages of Swaine, Marcassin, and Esther, I'm going to take a guess... Please don't shoot me.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"It's blazing hot out! Why do we have to hang around the _desert_ during the hottest time of year?!"

"Oh, stop your griping, Swaine! Oliver said he would meet us in Al-Mamoon, so we're going to meet in Al-Mamoon!"

Swaine, a young man of 27, grumbled under his breath. He was a tall, somewhat scrawny man with tan skin, dark-brown scruffy hair, and dark eyes with lines beneath them, making him look like he lacked sleep. He wore a dark-green long jacket over an orange shirt with a black belt around the waist, teal-blue pants that were torn at the knees, long dark-red socks, and black shoes with scuffed golden buckles. "I don't see why we can't wait for him at the springs behind the city,"

A young blonde girl of 14 looked up and gave him a glare. Her hair was tied back high and braided, with two strands of hair draping on both sides of her head. She had deep blue eyes, and wore a purple belly-shirt, with a matching skirt that she wore over pink, Arabian-styled pants, and Arabian slippers. Her name was Esther. "If you don't want to wait for him, you're welcome to leave!"

Swaine scoffed. "I just think we should hang around a cooler spot, before our skins start to blister from this heat! Keep in mind, just because you can handle the desert, doesn't mean the rest of us can,"

Esther rolled her eyes. "Fine. Why don't we go get a couple babana-splits, then? That should be enough to cool you down and keep your mouth shut, 'your majesty'."

Swaine sneered at her. Ever since they saved the world, the thief had returned to Hamelin to rule with his brother, though still took time off to visit with his friends, promising his brother he would always return, especially if there were problems. ...However, ever since then, Esther couldn't help but make remarks, via calling him 'your majesty' or 'the Swine Prince' and such, just to irk him.

Chances were, if Oliver- the young wizard who defeated the Dark Djinn- wasn't the link in their friendship, Swaine would break out his familiars and sic them on the desert-girl... or cut her braid off. Something that would be sneaky enough for a thief. Once he swiped her harp and wouldn't give it back unless she told him he was 'the most charming, hansom, and skilled person she ever met,' ...though it didn't happen, since Oliver made him give her harp back. (But it was still fun for the thief).

Esther had mutual feelings. True, he did come in handy when using his pick-pocket skills and having helped them get into the Porcine Palace the first time they visited Hamelin, and she did feel sympathy for him- having run away from home because he believed his father didn't appreciate him, being gone 15 years and becoming heart-broken, and having to go back in time just to see his own father die... he had lead a sad life. But, it was all over now- yet he still chose to be a cynical thief and, regardless he was supporting his brother more, she still saw him as a louse.

When Oliver was around, there wasn't much quarrelling between them as the young wizard knew how to keep peace. But when it was just the two of them, things often got out of hand. Esther knew that any day now they would have a familiar-battle over some sort of argument... or the thief would try to swipe her harp again, which she had yet to forgive him for, especially since she needed it to tame familiars and heal everyone in battle.

Though, as she thought about it, they hadn't had a battle for a while. Sure, there were many beasts around the lands, but they had grown so strong during their quest to defeat Shadar, that many creatures fled from them, though there were a couple who would be bold enough to try to attack them, yet they had become easy to defeat. And they had collected several familiars of every type throughout the journey, that Esther had bought a journal to help keep track of them all. As she thought this, she wondered if there would be a time if she ever needed to use her harp again.

They reached the babana-stand, and she pushed her thoughts aside and ordered two babana-splits for herself and the thief. After peace had been returned to the land, her father, Rashaad, had decided to return to his life as a Great Sage, working with the Cowlipha, Queen Lowlah, or practicing spells. Often he would visit the other sages, Khulan- the former queen of the fallen city, Xanadu, who now resides in the village Perdida; and Marcassin, the sage of Hamelin and Swaine's younger brother. They would often meet to see how things were going, or to share new spells one of them had discovered and whether it was 'dark' or 'light' magic. Once he had returned to this kind of life, Rashaad had decided to sell the babana-stand to a young peddler woman, who had experience in growing such fruits.

"Here you are, Esther," said woman said. She had tanned-skin and light-brown hair, and bright-green eyes, and had moved to Al-Mamoon from Castaway Cove, and was about 19.

"Thank you, Jade!" Esther replied to her, handing Swaine his babana-split, and they turned to leave.

"Oh, Esther, wait... might I ask you something?" Esther turned to her, nodding. "You've lived around Al-Mamoon longer than I have, and I was wondering if you could tell me about that man who sells curry?"

"Raj? He's a nice fellow, but why are you asking me?"

"Well, you're one of my best customers, and I can tell you have good judgment on character."

"Why do you want to know about him?" Swaine asked her, taking another bite of his babana-split.

Jade blushed. "Well..."

Esther smiled. The woman had a crush on Raj! "I think I understand. If you'd like, I'll put in a good word for you next time we get some curry," she promised.

"You will? How sweet! Thank you!"

Esther and Swaine then walked off. "You're such a hopeless romantic, did you know that?" Swaine commented.

"Oh hush! Once you meet someone special, you'll understand," Esther huffed, as they sat down by the milk fountains.

"Whatever. ...I wonder what's keeping Oliver?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The group had entered Motorville around 7:15 AM, casually walking around town. A few people questioned their outfits- namely why a young girl would be wearing jeans and a T-shirt and a cap rather than a nice dress. ...Ironically, they were asking this to Zeke.

Since they easily assumed Liz was from Texas due to her vest and cowboy hat, they figured she grew up on a ranch and wearing such things was common for her. Zippy made the excuse that she came from New York, and her attire was what many boys in the city were wearing nowadays- knowing they had no clue she was a girl, she took advantage of it for her alibi.

Vincent, however, had the bigger problem. People gave him weary looks because of his long coat and mask, as if he were some sort of shady criminal. And since he knew people back then had no idea what 'cosplays' were, he couldn't use the excuse that he just came from one, and more people kept staring.

"He's with me," Zippy spoke up after people started asking questions, having taken out her sketchbook, which coincidentally had a couple pictures of Vincent drawn in them. "He's modeling a character I'm using for a comic series I'm working on, 'The Masked Detective'. I was having trouble capturing the image, until I met Vincent here in college, and after a trip to a tailor, he got a costume to help me draw out my idea."

"I'm her agent," Liz added. "We've been travelling, looking for a good publisher,"

"And I'm her brother," Zeke put in. "Our parents made me go with her for the summer,"

"Aren't you a little young to be getting into the comic business?" A man asked Zippy.

"Actually, sir, I happen to be 23," Zippy informed him. "I was quite sick when I was born."

The man apologized, and the crowd began to disperse, one person wishing them good luck. "The 'masked detective'?" Vincent commented, smirking at Zippy.

"It was the only title that I could think of, give me a break!" Zippy scoffed, as they walked around a corner.

That's when they had spotted a young boy of 13, with bright blue eyes, red-brown hair, wearing a yellow shirt with red suspenders, and jeans. He seemed to be carrying a book, and a strange looking staff. "I can't believe I'm late!" he gasped as he ran along.

The group recognized him immediately as Oliver.

"Ommmmmf!"

Before Zeke could shout out, "Oh my gosh, there he is!" at the top of his lungs, Zippy, Vincent, and Liz clapped their hands over his mouth.

"Yep, we're definitely in the right time period!" Vincent said.

"C'mon, lets follow him!" Zippy urged excitedly, but Liz held her back.

"Hold it. Wouldn't that be a little creepy? Four strangers, following a little kid around?" Liz questioned.

"Yeah, but you forget TWO of the strangers happen to LOOK like kids," Zeke pointed out, thumbing to himself and Zippy. "Though... since Zippy already revealed her age, people will still get suspicious- so it looks like I'll be meeting Oliver first, bye!" He tried to run off, but Zippy caught him by the shirt-collar and yanked him back hard. "Ow! Whiplash!"

"Here's a better idea... why don't we just introduce ourselves casually?" Vincent asked.

"You mean besides the fact that you look like a cross between Dick Tracy and the Hamburglar?"

*WHACK!*

Zippy smacked her brother upside the head. "Um, joking aside, Vince, I think you should tone down the outfit a smidge." Liz suggested, while Zeke groaned. "Just put away the mask, the coat, and the utility belt."

"Fine... but the hat's staying on!" Vincent replied, then took off his coat, utility belt (which carried his wand and sonic-screwdriver), and mask... and dropped them into his hat, as if there were a bottomless hole in it!

"Nice, now lets see you pull a rabbit out of there," Zippy joked. Vincent rolled his eyes, then put his hat on his head.

"C'mon, he might be heading to the Town Square,"

They walked along, quickly as they could without looking any more suspicious, managing to catch up to Oliver. However, before the introductions could be made, he was already waving the staff- which, they knew, was actually the wand, Astra.

No one else could see it, but they noticed a large gateway appear, shining steps leading up to a bright light. Oliver walked up the steps and into the light... and then everything disappeared.

Any passerby would probably just see it as the young boy probably ducked into some bushes, or just took off in a blink of an eye... whatever the reason, no one paid any mind that a young child had just disappeared out of their own world.

But the others knew otherwise.

He had gone to another world...

"Gee, I wonder where our next destination is going to be?" Zeke quipped, everyone grinning as Vincent pulled out his wand from his hat, feeling like practicing a new spell.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_The two ominous figures stared into the mist. "They have found the Pure-Hearted One... and it would seem they know about him, master." Cobayne noted._

_"It does not surprise me. They come from a distant time, and carry magic themselves. This 'Vincent' fellow's magic outdid my second soul-mate, as the future told... he knows spells that I have yet to hear of," the second figure, with clawed hands, rasped. "But, that will change... What of his comrades?"_

_"I do not know of their abilities- chances are, they are like that of the Pure-Hearted One's, having their own skills__,__ but not nearly as powerful,"_

_"And what gave you that assumption?"_

_"Well... one of them carries a gun, like that thief. I have no idea what the other two boys can do, except beat up one another."_

_"Keep an eye on them. ...What of the weakness of the Pure-Hearted One himself? Have you yet to find it?"_

_"His weakness is deep within him. He believes he had overcome it... but fate will reveal the truth,"_

_Beneath his hood, the raspy-voiced figure grinned, showing crooked, yellow teeth. "Ah, yes, the loss of his mother. But what of his father?"_

_"Gone. Alicia left him behind when she first travelled to that other world. The pathetic wretch didn't even know he had a son, until his soul-mate died... and he died as well."_

_There was a chuckle, as the second figure turned back to the mist. "So dealing with these heroes shall be a minor task, with their weaknesses."_

_"Yes... but, if they remain together, they will have great strength."_

_The figure gave Cobayne a look. "Why do you bring this up?"_

_"Because I have a plan. These strangers seem to know about this world... yet they have never been in it before, and don't know all the risks it offers. Together, they may be able to overcome any trial... yet, if we were to separate them..."_

_"I see..." The figure suddenly began to hunch over, hacking and wheezing. _

_Cobayne looked at a long candle, which was burning along a black mark drawn on its stick, which was above several other marks. Each mark represented an hour that had gone by, and right now it was at the 13th mark. "Master, the chamber-"_

_"I know, you fool! *hack* I am not stupid! I know- *hack* I must do the ritual... You handle the others... and do not fail me this time!" _

_"Yes, master."_

_The clawed figure walked off, hacking some more, heading deep into the cave, while Cobayne looked back at the mist. He waved his wand, making it turn red once more._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Vincent concentrated hard, waving his wand in the 'Gateway' pattern once more, while muttering the spell.

"I'm just saying, it might not work," Zeke spoke up. "I mean, that wand is used to casting spells like _'Accio' _and _'Avara Kedavra' _and _'Ignorpotomas'_... I don't think it knows the kind of magic Oliver uses,"

"And it's criticism like yours that's making it hard for us to have an awesome experience!" Zippy snapped at him. "This is the 'Black Alchemist' you're talking about, dude- he can do any kind of magic! ...except granting wishes. I've tried."

Liz rolled her eyes, then looked at Vincent. "Maybe you should give it a rest, Vince. Wait until Oliver gets back- maybe you need his book to use the spell," she suggested.

Vincent considered this. "That is a good point. In the game, he did use the book for some of his spells," he said, remembering. He held up his wand. "So much for learning _Gateway _quick-"

In a flash of light, the same stairway appeared before them. "What'd I tell ya?" Zippy boasted to her brother. "The kid's a natural!"

"Alright, you were right I was wrong- lets go already!" Zeke exclaimed.

Vincent scratched his head, looking at his wand. "I didn't feel anything," he told them, as normally he felt some sort of power surge through his wand.

"Maybe it just needed time to warm up. Plus, these spells are different, the wand might feel something different," Zippy said, eagerly. "Now, lets go, Vincent! I want to get Swaine's autograph!"

"Zippy... you promised you wouldn't freak out," Zeke said.

"No I didn't, because this is worth the freak-out! LETS GO!"

Vincent shrugged, then they walked up the steps and towards the light. Maybe his wand was still getting used to this kind of magic. Plus, Gateway didn't really require that much power in the game, so maybe that was a reason he didn't feel anything. _I'll think about it later. Right now, it's time to have a bit of fun! _he thought, excited to enter the other world.

They stepped through...

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Oliver appeared outside Ding Dong Dell, hurrying into a nearby Hootenanny, requesting to use the changing rooms, which the elderly lady behind the desk allowed. He changed out of his ordinary clothes and into his white long-sleeved shirt, blue-vest, white shorts, brown shoes, and red cape. He hung his locket around his neck as well, where he stored pieces of upbeat heart-feelings. Also around his neck was a shell-shaped pendant his mother had given to him, which he never took off.

After changing, he bought a couple items from the store (just to be polite) and left. He had been doing this sort of thing for months now. It had been a trial at first, living two lives. In his world, he was just an ordinary boy, living with his friend Myrtle and her family after they agreed to take him in, and went to school, hung out with his friends, and normal stuff a kid his age would do.

But in this world, he was a wizard- a worldwide hero at that! And during days when there wasn't much going on, or on weekends when he had no plans, he would come to this parallel world and visit his other friends. The first few times were a bit hard- for one thing, he had school to attend, and sometimes he would lose track of time in this other world, having to wear a watch in order to stay on curfew (he wasn't allowed to be out past 9 on a school night), and there were times they would be up late at night and he'd be too tired for school- thus why Esther suggested he could visit on the weekends or during holidays.

Now, it was Summer, and he had been spending a majority of it in the other world. He still hung around with his friends, Myrtle and Phillip, in his own world, just to keep things even. But this time, he was most excited.

Since school would be starting next month, he brought up an idea: going camping. He had went camping a week ago with Phillip and Denny (another friend), all of them telling campfire stories, eating s'mores, fishing and swimming in the lake, and 'roughing it' as they believed.

After telling his other friends about it, Esther grew delighted. "We should go camping, too!" she had said. "We can go to Teeheeti, that way we won't have to deal with too many creatures."

"Sure! We can invite Swaine, Marcassin and Mr. Drippy to come along, too." Oliver had agreed. "If they're not all too busy,"

After asking the two princes, they had agreed. "I suppose taking a week off won't hurt," Marcassin had said.

"But we've gone camping several times in the past before," Swaine had pointed out. "How would this be a vacation?"

"We had to camp out before because we were travelling all over, and were always too far from a Cat's Cradle," Esther had scoffed. "This will be just for fun!"

Swaine scoffed a bit. "Yippee..."

"If you don't want to come, just say so!"

"I didn't say I wouldn't come! After all, someone's gotta keep you lot in-line if you're loose in the wilderness," Esther just rolled her eyes at this remark.

"So, when should we plan it?" Oliver asked.

"How about next week? We can meet in Al-Mamoon," Esther had suggested.

Swaine had given her a look. "Why your home-city? Why not mine? It's closer to Teeheeti," he had stated.

After a bit of arguing broke out between the two, Marcassin and Oliver had both stated they could meet in Al-Mamoon, as the city sold more tents than anyone and more supplies used for camping or traveling (such as canteens, sleeping bags, etc.) as they felt they could use some fresh supplies. Swaine bitterly agreed, and they made plans.

Such as why Oliver was in such a hurry to meet them. The one glitch in the _Gateway_ spell was that it always returned him to the location he was at last, and he had been visiting Pip the mouse in Ding Dong Dell, who wanted his input on a current Cloud Sweeper he had built. He took out his wand, preparing to use Fast-Travel.

Until something fell out of the sky and landed in front of him with a great big *THUD!*

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: And there's our first cliffhanger for the story! XD


	3. Split Up

Third chapter? Coming right up!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Vincent didn't know what to imagine when he stepped through the portal. At first, it seemed like they were zooming towards a long, white tunnel, an image of a small kingdom in the middle of a green field could be seen in the distance...

But what he didn't expect were three extra locations to suddenly appear, as the tunnel seemed to shift and the group seemed to be pulled apart. He couldn't tell where the others were going, because everything seemed to be moving too fast...

Then he went through a portal, and landed face-first in the dirt. _They never showed this in the game... _he thought, sitting up and rubbing his neck. "Ow..."

"Jeepers! Are you alright, sir?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm..." Vincent looked over, pausing when he noticed he was sitting right in front of Oliver!

Suddenly, his mind split into two parts. One part was telling him, _'Alright, stay calm. Remember, he doesn't know you. Don't freak him out, just treat him like any other person.' _while the other part was screaming, _'Oh my gosh, I'm standing right in front of Oliver! Where's my camera?! I gotta get a picture with this kid! This is awesome!' _

"You just came out of nowhere... how did you do that?" Oliver asked.

Vincent cleared his throat. "I'm a wizard," he told him- knowing, in this world, it would be simple to believe. "I opened a portal to this world here. My friends and I were hoping to explore it,"

"You're a wizard? Neato! So am I!" Oliver looked around. "But, where are the rest of your friends?"

Vincent looked around. As he figured, they weren't around... and he grew concerned. "I don't know... They stepped through the portal with me, but something went wrong- they must have ended up in different places." he looked down at his wand, confused. _Maybe Zeke was right- maybe my wand can't do this kind of magic, and something went awry. _

"I can help you look for them. I'm going to Al-Mamoon to meet up with my own friends... Maybe one of yours is there, too. If not, we can all help search,"

Vincent smiled- one thing he admired about Oliver was his will to help others. "Thank you." he stood up, brushing himself off.

Oliver cocked his head. "But, um, we'd better get you some new clothes first. People tend to stare when they see someone dressed differently- I know this from experience,"

_So do I, _Vincent thought, remembering how people reacted to seeing him and the others, and how he even had to tone down his appearance so no one would find it weird that some stranger in a mask was following a kid. "I'm Vincent, by the way."

Oliver shook his hand. "I'm Oliver, nice to meet you."

They walked along the streets of Ding Dong Dell, Oliver leading him into the Hootenanny and asking the elderly woman if she had any clothes Vincent could wear. "Oh, yes, we can suit you up!" she said. "Before I show you what we have, is there anything specific you had in mind?"

Vincent smirked, rubbing his chin as he pretended to ponder. "Well..." he said.

Minutes later, Vincent walked out of the Hootenanny wearing a long black jacket, with a white shirt, a dark-blue vest, and dark-brown pants, and brown shoes. If he had chosen a red cape, he would almost look like an adult version of Oliver, but long jackets had always been in his tastes. The only thing he wanted to change about it was tearing it a little, to resemble his old one (which he still kept in his hat, which he had tucked away in a bottomless bag they had also bought for him to store his other clothes in), though he figured a few days in this world would fix that.

"Ready to head to Al-Mamoon?" Oliver asked him.

"Whenever you are," Vincent replied.

Oliver waved his wand, casting the _Fast-Travel _spell.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Esther paced around the milk fountains, furiously. "Stupid thief..." she grumbled.

After waiting another half-hour for Oliver, Swaine had gotten bored and went to hang out around the springs, telling her they could find him there. The familiar-tamer was furious enough to just tell Oliver that the thief couldn't make it and they could leave without him... but no matter how mad she got, she wouldn't do such a thing to any of her friends (no matter how stubborn one of them was).

Plus, Marcassin would be meeting them on the island, and wouldn't appreciate such an act- the younger prince having claimed he would stay behind and meet them in Teeheeti, after making sure things were taken care of around the palace. ("I'm telling you, I think he's a workaholic!" Swaine had joked after he told them this).

She let out a heavy sigh, sitting down, deciding to strum a few notes on her harp...

*SPLASH!*

Someone dropped in the fountains behind her, dousing her with milk! "Eep!" she yelped, standing up and turning around. "What in the world...?!"

There was a gasp, as someone popped out of the fountain, climbing out. "Milk... not a good idea on a hot day..." they gasped.

Esther took a cautious step forward. "Oh my... Are you alright?" she asked.

The person looked up at her, their eyes widening a bit, but they blinked several times. "Um, yes, I'm fine, just... had a nasty spill," they climbed out, and she looked them over. They had black hair that ran down the back of their neck, wearing a white shirt covered by a red jacket, blue pants, white shoes, and a white cap with a cross on it. The stranger looked around. "Um... did anyone else come around here?"

Esther cocked her head. "Like who?"

"Some friends of mine, one of them being my brother. One of them happens to be a wizard, and we opened a portal here... but somehow, I think we all got separated." the stranger looked up at the sky, then around the city. "Are you sure no one else happened to fall from the sky?"

She shook her head. "Um... no. Wait, did you say one of your friends is a wizard?"

"Yes. He has dark brown hair, hazel-brown eyes, and often wears a long dark-brown coat and hat."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him. ...What are your other friends like?"

"One of them is a woman with wavy brown hair and green eyes with a shot-gun strapped to her back, and the other is a black-haired boy wearing mostly a black outfit."

"Okay... What are their names?"

The stranger slapped their forehead. "Ah! Forgot the introduction, sorry. My name is Zippy, and my friends' names are Vincent, Liz, and Zeke. ...I hope they're alright,"

"My name's Esther... and a friend of mine, Oliver, is a wizard as well. We could help you search for them, once he gets here!" she looked at Zippy's milk-drenched outfit. "But, um, lets change you in some dry clothes, first."

Zippy nodded. "Right... I think my outfit is starting to curdle. I left my other clothes back at our last destination, though,"

"That's alright, we can buy you some new ones here."

Zippy shifted. "Well, there's a problem... you see, we use a different kind of currency where I come from. I don't have any guilders,"

Esther patted the stranger on the back. "That's alright- I'd be happy to help you out."

"Uh, okay... But as soon as I earn some guilders, I'll pay you back."

Esther giggled. "Don't worry. It's no trouble!"

Esther took Zippy to the Hootenanny. "What can I do for you?" the old lady asked.

"I need some clothes for Zippy, here- he fell in the milk fountain, and doesn't have any fresh clothes."

"Certainly. Right this way, young man."

Zippy muttered something under his breath, though Esther couldn't catch it, only one word: 'girl'. She waited a few minutes, hoping Oliver hadn't arrived and was wondering where she was at, let alone thought she called off their plans for camping.

Zippy stepped out just then, now wearing a white bandana, red vest over a cream-colored shirt, and blue baggy Arabian-pants with a brown fabric-belt, and dark-red slippers. "Man, I feel like a pirate... complete with a sword, ha ha." he commented.

Esther looked, noticing Zippy suddenly had a sheath tied to his belt. "You had a weapon this whole time?" she gasped.

"Huh? Oh yeah. ...Don't be alarmed, I only take it out in battles." Zippy unsheathed his weapon- it looked odd for a sword. "It's called a machete. I carry it with me everywhere,"

"Ooh, the Cawtermaster's must make unique weaponry, where you come from," the old lady behind the desk said.

Zippy sheathed the machete. "You could say that. ...I hope I didn't scare you,"

"Oh, no, it's alright. I actually do battles myself... though, I normally use my familiars, and my harp." Esther said. "I'm more of a healer during battles. Do you have a familiar?"

Zippy rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm afraid not. We don't have familiars where we come from,"

Esther scratched her head, suddenly realizing the pieces were falling into place- the strange clothes, the different weapon, no familiars... "Are you... Are you from another world?"

Zippy gave an honest nod. "Yes."

"Amazing! Oliver's from another world, too! ...Gosh, wait until he finds out! Wait until Swaine finds out-" she paused just then. "Oh my gosh, Swaine! I've got to go find him!"

"I'll come with you!" For some reason, Zippy's voice sounded very excited, but he cleared his throat. "To help look- I mean, you're helping me find my friends, I can help find yours, heh."

Esther nodded, quickly paying the Hootenanny before heading out.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

*WHUMP!*

Liz landed on something soft after going through the portal. "My goodness!" gasped a voice, and she quickly stood up, seeing she had landed on a young man around the age of 20, with long blue hair, dark blue eyes, and wearing an odd outfit... and also holding a staff- well, used to be, as it was now rolling in front of him.

"Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry!" she gasped, helping him up. "My friends and I... there was this portal... something happened... Are you alright?"

"I'm quite fine," the young man replied. "Might I ask who you are and... where exactly are you from?" he looked over her outfit as he said this, curiously.

"My name is Liz. My friends and I... well... one of them is a wizard, and we opened a portal here, but somehow... I ended up here." She tried hard to steady her breathing... if she could breathe at all. She looked around, seeing she was standing outside a palace... inside an industrialized city. The air here smelled like someone was paving a tar road, and she winced a bit. Where were her friends? Where was she? "What is this place?"

"This is Hamelin... One of your friends is a wizard, you said?"

"Yes. His name is Vincent."

"...Oh. For a moment, I assumed you knew a friend of mine, Oliver. He, too, is a wizard... and also comes from another world."

Liz arched an eyebrow. "How... How did you know I came from another world?"

"I've been to Oliver's world a few times before in the past year, and the people there dress differently... although, I've never seen a woman dress the way you do." he looked at the rifle strapped to her back. "Or carry a gun like that!"

"Oh, well, my friends and I... we come from another part of Oliver's world, far away." she said, then took a deep breath. "Far, FAR away..."

"I see. ...Oh, where are my manners? I'm Prince Marcassin, Sage and second ruler of Hamelin. My older brother, Gascon, is the first ruler, but he is visiting our friends, Oliver and Esther. I promised to meet them on an island not too far from here."

Liz looked around. "I wonder where my friends are..."

"If you'd like, you may accompany me. Perhaps we'll meet your friends on the way there, otherwise we'll help search for them."

"Oh, thank you, your highness!"

Marcassin looked, seeing a couple people were looking at them curiously. "But, first, lets find you some new clothes, so people don't stare so much."

"Okay..."

Marcassin lead her into the palace, calling in a tailor. "Is there a specific outfit you have in mind?" the tailor, a kind young lady in her 30's, asked Liz. "A nice dress, perhaps?"

"Well, um, I'm not a dress-person... but I do have an outfit in mind," she replied.

Within an hour or so, she walked out, wearing a short, black ninja-robe with a sage-green trim, black leggings, and sandals. Her gun remained strapped to her back- she dared not part with it. "You look very nice," Marcassin complimented her.

"Thank you," Liz replied, walking with him along the city streets towards the entrance of the city, all the while keeping an eye out for her friends.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Oi! Mun! Wake up!"

"Uuugggghhh... huh? Auntie Em, is that you?" Zeke groaned, having fallen unconscious after falling through a jungle.

"Auntie Em? Sheesh, mun, did ya land on youer head or somethin'?"

Zeke looked... seeing he was in the presence of Mr. Drippy- a yellowish fairy with a large nose with a lantern at the end, wearing a teal-blue outfit. "Oh. My. Gosh. MR. DRIPPY!" he exclaimed.

The fairy jumped back a bit. "Wha? Ya know me?" he shrugged. "Ah, 'course ya do. Who hasn't heard o' Mr. Drippy- th' Lord High Lord of th' Fairies, who helped th' Pure-Hearted One conquer Shadar? ...But I don't think I recognize you, mun. Where ya from?"

"Another world, to put it simply."

"Oi! From Ollie-boy's world? ...Huh, th' fashion there must've changed in th' last few months, like. I've never seen anyone wear so much black!"

"Eh, it's my style..."

"Well, no use standin' out like a sore thumb- th' beasties will surely hound ya. Best go buy a new outfit,"

"Um... I don't have any guilders. I'm new around here,"

"Wha...? Ah, duh! Get wit' th' program, Drippy! They en't all clever like Ollie-boy! ...Alright, mun, best stick wit' me 'til Ollie-boy an' th' rest get here, they may help ya out."

"Okay... but, um... there's some friends I'm looking for, too. We all stepped through a portal here, but something went wrong... did anyone else land here, besides me?"

"Not that I know of, mun. ...No worries, though. You an' youer friends will see each other again- though, if they lack sense like ya do, best give an extra prayer or two to make sure they don't drop dead,"

_Thanks for the support, _Zeke thought, rolling his eyes, then followed Mr. Drippy to the Fairy Grounds, where he claimed the others would be arriving in a matter of hours.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Well, it looks like everyone's ended up basically everywhere. (Don't worry, Zeke, you'll get a cool outfit, too, soon enough). When will we all get reunited? ...Eventually XD


	4. An Immediate Reunion

On to the next chapter, where we get ourselves some reunions. ...Yeah, call me a sappy writer if you must, but I hope you enjoy anyway.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Swaine lied under a tree by the springs, enjoying the shade as he waited for Oliver to arrive. It wasn't often he got time to himself these days- he was either always at the palace with Marcassin, helping handle the kingdom's affairs, or with Oliver and Esther on a short getaway. He was used to being alone- he had spent 15 years of his life on his own, before the young wizard mended his heart- and during their journey to defeat Shadar, there was rarely a time he got out on his own.

But, he didn't necessarily mind the company either, even though it was a couple of young teenage kids. Sometimes he thought he was more of a babysitter to them- though, considering how much they could do on their own and how powerful Oliver had become, he dismissed the idea. He had made a good group of friends, regardless of their ages, and was willing to stick with them. ...Just so long as he could get some peace and quiet.

"Swaine!"

The thief sighed, recognizing that voice from anywhere- it was Esther, possibly coming to chew him out for wandering off, or to tell him Oliver had arrived. When he looked over, he realized it was neither option. "What is it, Esther? ...And who's this?" he asked, seeing a boy with black hair and white bandana standing by Esther.

"This is Zippy. He said he's looking for some friends- and one of them is a wizard, like Oliver!" Esther explained, excitedly. "They're from his world, too!"

Swaine looked over at Zippy, who gave a grin and seemed to be blushing. "H-Hi..." he said, and for some reason his tone almost sounded like a girl's.

"Hi there... Esther, didn't your dad tell you not to talk to strangers?" Swaine remarked.

"If he did, I wouldn't have to deal with your company," Esther huffed. "Anyway... Zippy said his friends travelled to this world, but they got separated."

Swaine rubbed his face, sighing in annoyance. "And I take it YOU volunteered us to help look for them?"

"Well, why not? We've been all over the world more than once, and Zippy said it's their first time here."

The thief looked at Zippy, questionably. "Is that so? How did you learn about it?"

"My friend's a wizard, he's the one who told us about it first. He learned to use _Gateway_, and brought us here." Zippy told him, then sighed. "But, I suppose if your friend isn't up for the task, I could search by myself. I'm sure my machete and gun can fend off any fierce creatures..."

"Gun? You have a gun, too?" Esther gasped.

Zippy reached into his belt, where a small, silver gun was packed. Swaine observed it- it was different than his own pistol, the barrel of it more rectangular, and the back of it could slide back (Zippy demonstrated) to be cocked, and the bullets looked different, smaller and more like tiny missiles. "Amazing... I've never seen a gun like this before- not even in Oliver's world," he commented.

"We come from a far part in Oliver's world," Zippy explained, holstering the gun.

"Speaking of which, he should be here any minute. Lets head back in the city," Esther suggested.

Zippy shrugged in agreement, and they started walking.

Swaine followed, a bit fascinated by this stranger, but shook his head. _Don't be easily amazed, you twit. _he told himself. _You have no idea who this kid is- or how his wizard-friend found out about this world, if it's their first time here. _

The thief thought about asking Zippy some more questions, but was interrupted when there was a blue flash of light at the front of the city... and there stood Oliver- with another stranger.

"Oliver!" Esther exclaimed.

"VINCENT!" Zippy exclaimed even louder, running over.

"ZIP!" The stranger, Vincent, called and ran over, both of them hugging.

"You must be one of Vincent's friends," Oliver said, pointing out the obvious.

"And you must be Oliver, the wizard Esther told me about," Zippy said, shaking his hand.

"And you must be the wizard Zippy told us about!" Esther said to Vincent.

"Got it in one," Swaine commented, sarcastically. He crossed his arms. "Well, there's one friend of yours down, Zippy. Maybe this won't be as hard as we thought,"

"Too bad Liz isn't here. She's an expert at tracking people," Vincent said.

"If Liz were here, we'd just have to find Zeke- and with his vision, he'd figure out our next destination and meet us there!" Zippy replied.

"Vision?" Oliver asked, curiously.

"Oh, yeah. My brother has this gift... but, he hates it when I talk about him behind his back, so I'll let him tell you about it."

Swaine arched an eyebrow. Tracking, special gifts... and Vincent is a wizard. _Why do I get the feeling this lot planned all this?_ he wondered.

"Why don't we call Tengri for a ride?" Esther suggested. "We could find your friends easier with his help,"

"Tengri? Who's Tengri?" Vincent asked... though the thief noticed the wizard was trying hard to suppress a grin.

"I'll show you... just, um, don't get too scared, it hurts his feelings." Oliver said, then took out his Dragon-Horn and blew it.

Within moments, there was a "_Kyah!" _as a large purple dragon with horns, spikes, and wearing what appeared to be a giant dog-collar came swooping down. "Vincent, Zippy, meet Tengri." Esther said.

"This is _awesome_..." Zippy said, eyes wide and grinning.

"Just wait until you ride him," Oliver chuckled.

"Sweet!" Vincent exclaimed.

"I call shot-gun!" Zippy added.

"But, you've already got a gun!" Esther replied.

"Oh, no. It's a term we use in our world that describes calling dibs in the front seat of a car," Zippy said.

"I've never heard it before," Oliver said.

"We're, um, a little ahead of our time," Vincent told him, walking up to Tengri and stroking him. "What do you think, Tengri? Feel like giving us a lift?"

"Kyah!" was the dragon's reply, though he seemed to be smiling.

"I'll take that as a yes!" Esther giggled, and they all climbed on.

Swaine sat in the back, as he usually did. Vincent sat by Oliver, asking him how flying a dragon worked, the younger wizard showing him that in order to steer, you just had to lean a certain way. Esther sat by Zippy, who was enjoying the ride.

The thief kept his eye on the strangers. So far, they seemed pretty friendly... but he was wise not to let his guard down until he got all the facts.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Vincent's POV**

One of my favorite parts in the game was flying Tengri.

But in real life... it was far more awesome!

As we soared through the sky, the wind rushing in our faces, I couldn't help but grin. Below, I could make out the desert, Castaway Cove just a mile or two away, the ocean not too far off. Oliver showed me how flying Tengri worked, where you just had to lean certain ways- left to go left, right for right, forward to go faster, and back to slow down or stop.

I was really eager to give it a try, but had to keep calm. We had just met the group, after all, so I knew I would have to wait before asking, "Hey, can I take over steering the dragon?". Tengri would have to get used to me, too... though I had a feeling the dragon would warm up to me quick, as most reptiles did.

I looked back at Zippy, who I swear was thinking up references from _How To Train Your Dragon. _She kept gazing down at the scenery, up at the clouds we passed, and exchanging smiles with Esther. I noticed Swaine was keeping an eye on us- probably cautious about riding with a bunch of strangers, which I could understand.

"There's Teeheeti," Oliver told me, pointing down at an island. "That's where our friend, Mr. Drippy lives."

My smile grew wider. "I can't wait to meet him," I said, ready to burst with excitement.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**3****rd**** Person POV**

When Marcassin said he and Liz would be taking a ship to the island, she expected a boat in the water...

Not a giant air-ship!

"You... you own an air-ship?" she marveled, as the vessel hovered onto the water for them to board.

"Not really. It actually belongs to Kublai, the Sky Pirate," Marcassin told her. "He was visiting the Great Sage, Khulan, and came by along the way, and offered to take me to the island."

"Sky pirate?" For some reason, when she heard the term, all Liz could think about was Don Karnage from _Tailspin._ "You trust a pirate?"

"Well... In the past, I wouldn't have, but a long has changed in the past year. We're all allies now. And, I suppose, he wants to make up for stealing from me a long time ago. ...Come, I'll introduce you,"

They boarded the air-ship, titled _The Iron Wyvern, _and there stood a tanned-skin man with long black hair, wearing a helmet, armor, and giving a fierce-yet-friendly grin. "Ahoy, your highness! I see ye've brought a friend along! Who might this lovely lady be?" he asked.

"This is Liz. She claims to be from Oliver's world, and is looking for her friends. I plan on taking her with me to see Oliver, to see if he could be of help,"

"'Could be'? Ha! You mean Oliver _will_ be of help! If that boy can battle and ride dragons, unite kingdoms, and take down Shadar, there'd be a safe bet he'll help ya find your friends!"

Liz smiled. Apparently, everyone thought pretty high of Oliver, which gave her a bit of relief. "Wonderful," she said.

"Best if ye brace yourself, lass, we'll be takin' to the air shortly,"

Liz nodded, walking along the steel deck of the metallic vessel. It began to hover, and she steadied herself, watching as it rose off the waters and into the clouds, sailing through the air. She looked at the area below, seeing several islands in the distance, one of them not too far.

Marcassin stood next to her. "Over there is Perdida," he said, pointing north-west to an island. "That's where the Great Sage, Khulan, resides. She used to be queen of Xanadu, but her kingdom fell at the mercy of Shadar, but she managed to find peace in the village." he pointed a little more to the west. "Beyond it is the Winterlands... and to the south of that is the Summerlands."

"Amazing... You must have travelled a lot to know all this,"

"Well, I've mostly studied maps, but I have travelled with Oliver, Esther, and my brother, Gascon, and learned more about locations that way." he pointed to a small island to the south-east, where they were heading. "That's the island of Teeheeti, where we're going. They should be there by now,"

"Oh my gosh!" Liz gasped, seeing something flying towards the island. "Is that... Is that a dragon?"

"Aye, that it be!" Kublai laughed, looking through a spy-glass. "That be my old friend, Tengri. 'Took a likin' to Oliver and his mates, so I allowed him to tag along with them. Seems that he's given them a lift to the island. ...Oh? What's this?"

"What is it, Captain?" Marcassin asked.

"It seems our wizard-friend has a few new faces with him... Ha! And one of them looks just like a pirate! Though, I don't recognize a face like that from anywhere... actually... hmm, I can't tell whether it be a lad or a lass,"

Liz's eyes widened, and she approached Kublai. "Might I take a look, Captain?" she asked.

"Aye, go right ahead, lass!" Kublai handed her the spyglass.

She looked down at the island, and a smile grew to her face. "I take it you know them?" Marcassin guessed.

"Yeah... I believe my friends have met your friends," she replied.

Kublai let out a laugh. "Well, now! Talk about coincidences!" he exclaimed.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Here comes Marcassin," Oliver stated after they landed on the beach, seeing the _Iron Wyvern_ hovering down, a plank being lowered as Marcassin walked onto the beach. "But, who's that with him?"

"It's Liz!" Zippy exclaimed, running forth with Vincent. Oliver, Swaine, and Esther followed them. "LIZ!"

"Zippy! Vincent!" Liz exclaimed, running over and hugging her friends. "Oh, thank God! Where did you guys end up?"

"Al-Mamoon, and Ding Dong Dell," Vincent told her. "What about you?"

"Hamelin. ...Marcassin, here, helped me find you guys,"

"It was a pleasure. You must be the wizard Liz told me about," Marcassin said to Vincent. "I must ask, have you've been to this world before?"

"Zippy said it's their first time here, but they've heard about it," Esther said.

"I see. How did you learn about it?"

"I heard a story about this world before, and learned the spell to bring my friends and I here." Vincent answered, then looked at Oliver. "Truth be told, I saw you cast the spell, and thought I'd try it myself."

"You saw me?" Oliver asked, surprised.

"Yes... You see, my friends and I were passing through town, looking for a passage to this world, hearing that a Great Sage had travelled to Motorville and wondered if she could help. I saw you running by, and could sense you were another wizard, and saw you cast the spell... though my magic is different than yours. When I tried to use the spell you used... well... something went wrong, and we separated. I don't think my wand is used to it,"

"Why didn't you tell us all this before?" Swaine demanded.

"Because my mother taught me to never talk to strangers... though, now that we've all been introduced, and since you've helped me find two of my missing friends, I no longer see you as strangers." he turned to Oliver. "I also didn't want to say anything to scare you out of helping me, either. You'd probably think I was crazy!"

"It's alright. ...But, you said you heard about a Great Sage who travelled to Motorville. Was her name... Alicia?" Oliver guessed.

"Yes, do you know her?"

"She... She was my mom." Oliver bowed his head. "She passed away a long time ago."

Vincent bowed his head. "I'm sorry... I can relate, though." he cleared his throat. "But, it's best we move on, isn't it?"

Oliver nodded. "Right. How long have you've known about this world?"

"Yes, and why exactly did you want to come?" Swaine asked, suspiciously.

"We've known about it for a few months now... and figured it would be a nice place for a vacation," Zippy answered.

"I must warn you, it's not exactly a luxurious getaway," Marcassin told her. "You all don't have much experience here, which could make you easy targets for some of the creatures."

"I guess we've got a lot of practice to do," Vincent said. "Especially if we're going to find Zeke,"

"Maybe we could help," Oliver suggested.

"Please don't be serious..." Swaine moaned. It was easy to see he really wanted to take a break and relax.

"Well, why not?" Esther scoffed. "They don't have much experience, and Vincent said his wand isn't used to the magic we use here... They could use a few lessons!"

"Yeah, but we all had to learn things on our own without much training. The most we had was Drippy, and he didn't do a whole lot of good- what?"

The thief noticed Vincent was giving him a glare. Zippy knew why- he was a fan of Mr. Drippy, and didn't appreciate it when someone bad-mouthed him.

"Drippy was a bigger help than you were," Esther sneered, before Vincent could probably deck Swaine. "And he had taught Oliver all about this world- if it weren't for him, he wouldn't be here!"

"Alright, alright! So he helped out a bit... though I still did more than him in battle," Swaine muttered.

"I believe we should help our new visitors," Marcassin spoke up. "After all, I doubt it would be just a coincidence that they heard about this world."

"Who told you about it, anyway?" Esther asked.

"A man named, um, Miyazagi told a story about it." Zippy said (giving reference to the creator of the game's animation). "We don't know how he learned about it, but he claimed it was true, told us about Alicia, Motorville... and here we are now."

"We can also look out for ourselves, too." Liz added, giving Swaine a look. "If some of you aren't interested in offering a little guidance..."

"Yeah. I guess Swaine isn't much of a teacher. Shame." Zippy sighed.

"Hey! I didn't say that! We just made plans for the week is all, and I didn't expect to spend it being a tutor for a bunch of tourists," Swaine argued. "And you lot may not know how to take care of yourselves around here... From the mix-up you just had, you might need all the help you can get!"

"Oh, but we wouldn't want to spoil your plans..."

"You could join us," Marcassin suggested. "We're just camping on this island near the Fairy Grounds, and we could tell you everything about our world... things you haven't heard already, I'm sure."

"Yes, we wouldn't mind the extra company!" Esther added.

"Alright. We'll just stick around until we've learned all the ropes, but then we'll go on our way." Liz insisted.

"Nonsense, you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like- especially since we still need to find your other friend," Marcassin replied.

"Yeah... Speaking of which, where did that lame-brain brother of mine run off to?" Zippy questioned.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zeke looked around the Fairy Grounds, marveling at the sight. The scenery was beautiful on a TV screen... but in real life, it was breathtaking! Mr. Drippy was showing him the various shops and introducing him to a few other fairies...

And that's when a vision kicked in...

_He was standing on a mountain, seeing two figures facing each other. One of them was shrouded in black, and the other was a young woman, wearing a white robe with a golden trim, holding a staff, and looking familiar. 'No... is that... Alicia?' he wondered, bewildered. 'But... she died! How...'_

_"Don't think you can defeat me so easily... you shall fall, along with the Pure-Hearted One... and the Black Alchemist!" the shrouded figure spoke to the woman, a staff he held glowing bright red..._

The vision ended, and Zeke gasped, blinking. "Oi, Zeke! Are ya alright?" Mr. Drippy asked. "I know bein' 'round fairies is new, but I didn't think it would be that much o' a shock for ya!"

"N-No... it's not that, it's just... I-I really need to find my friends," he replied.

"I told ya, once Ollie-Boy gets here, youer friends are as good as found, en't it? 'Fact, lets into th' jungle, see if they're here yet. 'Said they'd be here sometime in th' morning, they did."

"Alright... yeah..."

Zeke walked with Mr. Drippy through the jungle, though felt uneasy. That vision he had was a sure sign that their trip was about to take a dangerous turn...

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: And there's a glimpse of things to come. (Ah, Zeke, you truly are the Master of Spoilers, aren't you?)

Next chapter: Camp-Out! :D


	5. Sharing Some Info

Anyone here know any good campfire stories? ;)

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After agreeing to let their visitors join them on their camping trip, Oliver, Esther, Swaine, and Marcassin lead the newcomers into the jungle, showing them where they planned on camping, setting up tents and making a fire-pit. They were in a small clearing surrounded by trees, but with enough space so that, when they made a fire, it wouldn't spread easily. There was also a path that lead to the beach, in case they wanted to go swimming. Tengri was on the beach now, lying in the sand, resting after the flight, and Liz couldn't help but look at him in amazement.

"I take it you're a big fan of dragons," Swaine said to her, noticing her staring at the dragon in awe.

"Is it that obvious? I'm kind of jealous of my friends- they got to ride him," Liz replied with a soft laugh.

"Heh, trust me, it takes a lot of getting used to the first time." he then looked behind her, seeing the gun strapped to her back. Unlike Zippy's, it had a long double-barrel, with a wooden handle, and the word 'Tracker' written on the side. He had seen guns like that before in a shop, back in Oliver's world... but never saw a woman carry one. "I didn't know women in your world were allowed to carry guns,"

Liz gave him a look... then remembered they had travelled to the 50's, and women back then weren't known to carry any kinds of weapon. "It's different in Texas," she told him. "It's a state I live in, back in Oliver's world. Down there, women are allowed to handle shot-guns."

"Interesting. If women are allowed to carry guns, Texas must be one heck of a place,"

Liz shrugged. "It's not much, but it's home to me."

"And I take it 'Tracker' is a reference to your skill? Zippy said you were good at tracking people down,"

_That's only the half of it, _she thought, smiling. "It's a family trait, yeah. My parents taught me. What kind of skills do you have?"

Swaine smirked. "Well, I happen to be quite handy with a gun, myself... and I'm an expert thief, as well. Lived on my own for 15 years when I was a kid, learned to rough it in the world, and have practically been a guardian to Esther and Oliver after meeting them..."

"You ninny, you were broken-hearted when we met you!" Esther huffed, passing by. "And if it wasn't for us, you'd probably be in jail!"

Swaine shot her a look. "Excuse me! You were broken-hearted too, and would've been standing around like a mindless zombie if Oliver never did anything!"

"Don't start, you two..." Marcassin sighed, sitting by the fire with Zippy and Oliver. "We've all been broken-hearted, and all lent a hand to help Oliver, there's no need to argue or boast about it."

"Why not? I think it's funny," Zippy chuckled. Vincent was walking by and gave him a nudge. "Sorry."

"I wonder when Mr. Drippy will get here?" Esther asked, deciding to change the subject.

"...hopefully not until the week is over with," Swaine muttered.

"Oi! Ollie-boy! There ya are!" came the voice of the Lord High Lord of the Fairies.

"Wow, a week really flies by, doesn't it?" Vincent joked to Swaine, who only rolled his eyes.

"See, Zeke? I told ya they would be here, mun,"

"Zeke?" Zippy gasped.

Everyone looked over, seeing Mr. Drippy was accompanied by a boy with black hair, blue eyes... and wearing a strange outfit- stranger than what Oliver had ever seen! "Guys!" he exclaimed, running forth and hugging Zippy first. "Oh, man! I thought it would be ages before I saw you again!"

"This is your... brother?" Esther asked Zippy, a bit stunned, considering Zeke looked more like a girl.

"Oh yeah. Zeke, this is Esther, Oliver, Swaine, and Marcassin," Zippy said, introducing his brother. "Guys, this is my brother, Zeke."

"An' who might you lot be?" Mr. Drippy asked.

"Mr. Drippy, this is Vincent, Zippy, and Liz... They're Zeke's friends." Oliver explained.

"And Vincent is a wizard, too!" Esther added. "They learned about our world and came to see it,"

"...Despite they hardly know a thing about it," Swaine commented.

"Sounds like we've got some tourists, en't it? Guess it's time to crack open th' books an' show 'em how things are done in ouer world," Mr. Drippy said. "Jus' like how I had to teach ya, Ollie-boy! ...Oi, if we keep getting visitors from youer world, I'll have tah start a class!"

"Oliver said he and his friends would teach us how to fight," Liz told Zeke.

"Really?" Zeke asked, giddily. "That's great! When do we start?"

"AFTER our camping trip, preferably." Swaine replied. "I'm not exactly in the mood for teaching lessons right now,"

Esther gave the thief a look, as if ready to chew him out for his ill manners. "You know, I kind of agree. It's only our first day here, and we could use a little relaxing after what just happened," Zippy spoke up. "Plus, we shouldn't really impose anything on you guys,"

"(Too late)..."

"Say that again, Swaine?"

"Nothing..." Swaine walked over, sitting by the fire.

"So, you lot are joining us for camping, en't it? Tidy! This'll be an interesting trip," Mr. Drippy said.

"Couldn't agree more," Zeke said with a grin.

"Um... I just realized something," Marcassin spoke up. "We've only got four tents. Where are our guests going to sleep?"

"We could have Al-Khemi make us some," Oliver suggested, turning to the others. "He's our genie, he makes things for us with the use of alchemy." he took out his Wizard's Companion, flipping through the pages. "I'll see if we've got the ingredients..."

"Oh, it's alright, Oliver. We don't want you to go through your supplies," Liz said.

"Right! We'll have to save 'em if we'll be camping, right?" Mr. Drippy added.

"Don't the Fairy Grounds have shops we could visit for supplies?" Swaine replied.

"Aye, but we're not made of guilders, mun! Ye princes may be loaded, but th' rest of us have to work hard tah earn it!"

Swaine muttered bitterly under his breath, something along the lines of, "...we're not that frickin' rich, you dumb fairy..." but no one paid him any mind.

"So, what do you suggest?" Esther asked.

"Well, there's four o' them, an' four of us, so why not let each of 'em bunk with one of us? Keep things even, like. It'll also give us th' chance tah get to know 'em better, see what kind o' skills they all possess so we know how to train 'em!"

"I guess we could do that..." Oliver replied.

"Are you kidding me?!" Swaine piped up.

"I don't know... we just met today," Liz said. "Wouldn't sharing tents be a little... awkward?"

"Exactly!"

"We've still got a whole day before turning in- heck, maybe we could stay up and swap stories around the campfire! That'll help make it less awkward," Vincent suggested.

"I'm wit' Vinny-Boy! No problem gettin' to know new friends, en't it?" Mr. Drippy agreed. "Now then... who wants tah bunk wit' who?"

"Dibs on sharing with Swaine!" Zippy exclaimed, his hand shooting up in the air.

Swaine only face-palmed. _This can't be happening... _he thought.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Everyone talked about who would share a tent with who- claiming they should each agree on the accommodations, rather than 'calling dibs'. Swaine, refusing to bunk with any of the strangers let alone have his little brother be left with one of them, suggested he and Marcassin could share a tent. Zeke claimed he would also share a tent with Zippy, so that it would balance things out with siblings bunking with their siblings.

Vincent was allowed to bunk with Oliver, who was curious about his kind of magic, and even offered to show him the spells in his Wizard's Companion to help him learn a few tricks. Esther chose Liz, who was 'the only other girl in the group', so it would be a lot less awkward.

"By the way, Zippy, why didn't you want us to tell the others you're a girl?" Liz asked Zippy, meeting up with her inside a tent.

"I like it when people figure it out for themselves." Zippy answered with a shrug. "I mean, did you see Esther's face when she saw Zeke? Hilarious!"

"That's kind of mean, Zippy... you should tell them,"

"Ah, alright. I'll fill them in later around the campfire. ...Sheesh, you just can't have any fun these days, can ya?"

"I'm just saying, you should be honest about who you are. I can already tell Swaine was suspicious... and what was with the whole 'calling dibs' thing back there?"

"You know what that was about, Liz."

"Didn't you consider Vincent's feelings about it?"

"Of course! But, Swaine thinks I'm a boy, and Vincent knows I'm committed to him alone... not to mention, he's getting to share a tent with his favorite character, so I thought we would be even."

"Still, next time, talk it over with him. You might have broken his heart,"

"You know I would never do that, Liz."

"You might without realizing it," Liz then exited the tent, leaving Zippy to sigh.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_"COBAYNE!"_

_Cobayne sighed, shaking his hooded head. His master found out that he, once again, screwed up, and walked into the cavern._

_"I gave you a simple task of keeping those bastards separated... and yet you couldn't even do that right! Look!" the raspy figure pointed to an image in the mist, of the two groups together. "Not only are they still together, but they've also encountered the Pure-Hearted One! Tell me, Cobayne, did you try at all to dispose of them?!"_

_"Yes, master... but it appears Fate has somehow brought them together. I would not despair, though. The vision foretold that their encounter with the Pure-Hearted One would lead to a chain of despair."_

_"Yet the Pure-Hearted One knows how to overcome despair... as well as the Black Alchemist. Unless we find a way to weaken them, all is lost, and the prophecy shall never be fulfilled!"_

_"Calm yourself, master... There is a solution," something around his neck glowed lime-green._

_"You had better succeed this time, Cobayne... if they find it, or even discover the legend of it, you shall be the one to pay!"_

_"I know, master."_

_"Go. Release it."_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Everyone sat around the campfire later that night. Vincent was telling Oliver and Marcassin about his kind of magic, claiming he learned it at a wizarding school. "There's a school for wizardry in our world?" Oliver questioned, amazed.

"Yes, but it's very discrete from regular people, and can only be located through a special kind of train at King's Cross in London." Vincent explained, looking through Oliver's Wizard's Companion. "The magic we learn is kind of different, but some spells are similar... For instance, rather than using 'Healing Touch', we would use a spell called _Episkey, _but it only works on minor injuries."

"Interesting... Are there any foreign spells?" Marcassin asked him.

"Possibly. I had a book filled with them, but I left it back in my home,"

"Isn't that dangerous? What if someone else found it?"

"It's written in a special code, which only an Ink-Alchemist can read,"

"Ink alchemist?" Oliver questioned.

"Yes... It's like regular alchemy, but with ink... it's a lot to explain. Plus, I probably won't be using it in your world anytime soon- and I'm more interested in learning your spells,"

"Fair enough... though I'd like to learn more of this 'ink alchemy' of yours later," Marcassin said, intrigued.

Zippy, meanwhile, was telling Esther about her animals. "Sophie, my dog, is a real sweet-heart, but not much of a fighter. She's really timid around other dogs; but my cat, TC, is a little more fierce, but has her own cuddly side," she said, showing Esther some pictures of her pets, which she kept in a wallet. "Then there's Mallow, my hamster. He's a bit shy, but very patient- my three-year-old niece was able to pick him up without a problem,"

"Aww, they're so cute!" Esther said, smiling. "And you said you've had more pets like these in the past?"

"Oh yeah, more than I can remember. ...But, now that I'm in your world, I'm interested in owning some familiars."

"What kind?"

"Well, not to be picky... but I'd love to tame a Sasquish,"

"I've already tamed one! I called him 'Bruno'. He's in the Familiar Retreat, since he's still at a low level... If you'd like, I could lend him to you, that way you can learn how to train them."

"Thanks! ...Say, not to sound greedy, but would you also have a Mite?"

Mr. Drippy, meanwhile, was telling Liz about their quest to defeat Shadar. "...an' jus' when I thought we'd have a smooth voyage, th' Dark Djinn himself appears again, battlin' us then unleashin' th' Eye o' th' Storm! I've never been so sea-sick in my life, mun! Luckily, we managed to get through it- 'course Ollie-Boy passed out halfway through- but all was tidy. 'Course, we ended up on this isle, an' I was hesitant at first tah give a tour, namely 'cuz Fairy Godmother- she's th' one who creates us fairies- is always one to get in my business. Ever since I was named Lord High Lord o' th' Fairies, she's been on my case, wondering how I was fairin' with th' Great Sage, Alicia. Well, turns out it was a good thing we came along, since she was havin' trouble in her belly, due to the Littlies bein' stuck in there..."

Liz only nodded as the fairy went on with his tale, trying to keep up with it all, though it was difficult- especially with his Welsh accent- but she managed to follow it alright. Of course, that didn't keep her from looking at her watch, seeing that he had been talking for ten minutes straight without a breath. _And I always thought my dad talked too much, _she thought.

Zeke was over by Tengri, having wanted to meet the dragon, who took a liking to him as quick as the others. Swaine stood by, watching him, still suspicious. "So... you and Zippy are brothers, huh?" he said dully.

Zeke had to hold in a snicker- but, knowing his sister, decided not to blow the secret just yet. "Sort of. To tell the truth, we're not really related... I'm more of a 'foster brother' to him. He always wanted a twin-brother, I was an only-child... and pretty soon, we're inseparable. People actually believed we came from the same bloodline!"

"Heh, it's a different case with Marcassin and I. People often doubt we're related- we barely have a thing in common," he then stretched. "Well, if you're done, I'm turning in,"

"Alright, I'll be over in a few minutes."

Swaine walked, climbing into his tent and immediately falling asleep. Esther rolled her eyes after seeing him do so, wondering how he could be so nonchalant around newcomers.

"So, Zippy, what kind of skills does a young man like yourself possess?" Marcassin asked.

"Well... to start off, and I should have told you all this sooner, but I'm actually a girl," Zippy admitted.

"What?/No way!/Really?/Flippin' heck!" were the responses.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Esther asked.

"Where we come from, everyone mistakes me for a boy... so, I decided to have some fun with it, just to get a reaction. It's kind of fun, actually... But, I apologize for my lack of honesty,"

"It's alright... it was actually a pretty good prank!" Oliver replied.

"Hey... Swaine doesn't know- lets keep it from him a while longer, just to see what his reaction will be!" Esther suggested.

"I have an idea to add along with it," Mr. Drippy chuckled. "But only on Zippy's behalf... Why don't we have th' lass give him a kiss, an' really blow his mind!"

Liz stifled a laugh, seeing Zippy blush while Vincent glared. "Uh, here's another news flash: _I'm her boyfriend_," Vincent said, firmly.

"Sheesh, mun, it was only a joke- ya should've said somethin', sooner."

"Pardon my asking, but... isn't she a little young for you?" Marcassin inquired.

A sweat-drop appeared on Zippy's head. "Well, here comes the second mind-blowing truth: I'm older than I look. I'm actually 23,"

"Really? Wow, you look the same age as I do!" Oliver replied.

"Heh, you think my age is baffling? Zeke happens to be-"

"AUGH!" came a scream from the beach, followed by a roar... and it wasn't from Tengri.

"...In trouble!" Vincent gasped.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: And there's another cliff-hanger! Next chapter comes our first battle- and our first test at our skills!


	6. Our First Battle

Now to see how we handle our current situation. *puts on helmet and holds up machine gun* God help us…

(Happy Birthday to Tracker78, too!)

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Everyone ran to the beach where they heard Zeke's scream. "Zeke! What's going…" Liz called, freezing in her tracks when she saw what made their friend panic.

Swaine, having heard the scream, had rushed out of his tent, catching up. "What the hell?!" he gasped, stumbling as he stopped himself.

On the beach, half-way out of the water, was a monster none of them had ever seen. It was a beast twice the size of a dragon, with a round head, spikes sticking out the top of it, yellowed blank eyes, a flat-snout with lips like a fish and at least five rows of sharp teeth inside, accompanied by two forked tongues; it had scales of turquoise which reflected various colors, dorsal fins running down its back, long legs with webbed feet and claws, and long, slimy tale with spikes jutting out the end of it.

Zeke was ducked behind Tengri, who was roaring back at the beast. The dragon shot a blast of fire at the large monster, burning the middle of its face. The creature roared in pain, then seemed to gurgle… and shot a spray of greenish-yellow water had the dragon, nailing him in the eye and causing the dragon to screech in pain. "It's poison!" Esther gasped.

"Esther, you heal Tengri! We'll handle the monster!" Oliver called, and everyone rushed between the sea-monster and the dragon.

"What is this thing?!" Marcassin asked.

"It's about to be sushi!" Zippy replied, drawing her machete.

"What?! You guys can't just leap into battle with this thing- you just arrived here!" Swaine questioned.

"Trust me, dude, we've faced nastier creatures than this- my older sister, for example." Zeke answered.

Before anyone could protest to their guests participating in a fight, the sea-monster roared and swung its head to one side, trying to ram them. They had all dodged at the last minute. "No time to argue! Guys, just be careful!" Oliver said, then summoned a Fireball and shot it at the creature.

"Oi, these sea-types en't too fond o' fire, mun! If any o' you got some flames to throw, don't hesitate!" Mr. Drippy called.

Everyone did all they could- Oliver used Fireball, as well as summoning Mitey to use his sword and attack the monster's legs; Swaine used his Hot-Shot trickshots, as well as summoning Gunther to attack alongside Mitey; Marcassin worked on keeping everyone healthy, as Esther was still trying to heal Tengri's vision.

The monster then sprayed poison again. While everyone evaded, Zippy ran up and stabbed it in the crook of its front leg, cutting its spray short and making the monster roar in pain. It then swiped down at her- she leaped out of the way, leaving her machete stuck in its leg, watching as it was broken in half. "Dang it, and I just had it sharpened!" she sneered, then drew her gun and started shooting bullets into the creature's face.

Liz was using her shot-gun as well, blasting bullets into the creature's eyes. One of its tongues shot out at her, and she rolled out of the way. She then grew a set of claws out and sliced the tongue, though it only seemed like a paper-cut as large as the tongue was. She then grabbed sand and threw it into the open wound- the sting was enough to make the tongue recede.

The other tongue was swinging around. Mitey used his 'Cut-Loose' attack and left a few cuts in it, and Vincent looked to the back of its mouth, seeing vapors developing in it. "Oliver! Shoot a Fireball into its mouth!" he called. "Hurry!"

"Alright!" Oliver replied, summoning one more Fireball and launching it into the creature's throat.

Everyone watched as the gases in the back of its throat ignited, and the creature roared in agony, diving down into the water to extinguish the explosion in its mouth. "Ha! That'll teach that bastard who's boss," Swaine exclaimed.

The creature resurfaced, roaring, much more furious than it was before. "Uh, I think it needs another lesson!" Zeke commented.

"Look out!" Marcassin shouted, pointing at the creature's tail, swinging around… and it flicked forward, launching spikes at them!

"Yikes! Spikes!" Zippy shouted, and everyone dived or ducked out of the way…

*Skish!*

"AAIIEEE!" Zeke screamed, having ducked too late, a spike jutting through his stomach and pinning him into the nearest tree!

"ZEKE!" Esther screamed, horrified.

"Oh my gosh!" Oliver gasped. A Golden Glim hovered in front of him, and he quickly grabbed it. Extra power boiling inside of him, he unleashed his super-charged move, "Burning Heart", onto the monster, trapping it in a pillar of flame.

The creature roared, then prepared to swing its tail again…

A burst of fire caught it in its left eye, followed by another in its right eye. Everyone looked, seeing Tengri was healed at last… and ready for a fight. He roared with fury, then unleashed an arc of fire into the creature's face.

The others continued with their own tactics. When the creature tried to spew poison, Oliver would summon a Fireball, causing its throat to burn again; Liz, Zippy, and Swaine shot at the wound in its leg, where the blade of the machete was still stuck; and Vincent tried to use his wand again, this time using the _Sectum Sempra _spell on its tongues when they'd whip out, or to create more wounds.

"Gascon, try shooting a Rot-Shot into one of the wounds in its tongues!" Marcassin called out, summoning his familiar, Jules, to attack. "Poisoning it might weaken it!"

Swaine did so, shooting a Rot-Shot into an open wound on the creature's tongue, watching as it suddenly turned dark-purple to black, the tongue growing limp. "I have got to learn his trick-shots," Zippy said to Liz, both of them diving out of the way when the other tongue swung at them.

The creature sent another swarm of spikes flying their way, but something happened… a portal opened in front of the group, catching the spikes; another portal opened up behind the creature, and the spikes stabbed it in the back! The monster roared once again in agony, giving up and sinking back into the depths of the sea.

Tengri snorted, as if to say, "Good riddance."

A piece of paper suddenly floated down in front of Oliver, and the young wizard caught it, seeing it was a page describing the monster they fought: "Tyson: Rebel of the Reef".

"Zeke!" Marcassin gasped, as everyone ran over to the tree. Tengri pried the spike out, and the young boy dropped to the ground. "Oh, Zippy… I'm… I'm so sorry…"

"Give it a minute," Zippy replied, apparently not to phased that her brother had been impaled.

"Huh?"

There was a groan, and everyone looked, seeing Zeke climb to his feet… the hole in his stomach shrinking, until it looked as if he hadn't been wounded at all! "Remind me to never eat 'shish-kabobs' again," he muttered.

"Z-Zeke?! But… what the… how…?!" Esther stammered.

"Yeah… want to explain, bro?" Zippy said.

Zeke nodded. "I… I can't die." He explained to everyone. "Don't ask me how… I don't know whether it's a gift or a curse- it kind of varies with certain situations."

"Blimey! An immortal human!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed. "Uh, ye ARE human, en't ye?"

"Last time I checked, yes."

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Esther cried, hugging Zeke, making him blush.

"What exactly was that beast?" Liz asked.

"It was called 'Tyson, Rebel of the Reef'," Oliver answered, showing them the page. "Apparently, he used to be Guardian of the Eastern Sea, until one day he turned rogue and started causing disasters like whirlpools, typhoons, tsunamis, and giant waves to sink ships."

"Tyson?! Oi, I thought that rotter perished five centuries ago!" Mr. Drippy shouted. "Th' rest o' th' Sea Guardians subdued him way back then, sendin' him to a watery grave they did… or at least, that's what I believed. How'd th' bugger get back to th' surface like that?!"

"It had a strange look in its eyes… like it was dead," Marcassin replied. "Do you suppose someone could have… summoned it?"

"Impossible! Ya can't bring th' dead back to life, mun, lest ya want to use th' Forbidden Spell an' lose youer memories. 'Sides, who'd be willin' to summon that beastie an' sic it on us?"

Zeke's eyes widened. "My vision!" he gasped.

"What's wrong with your vision?" Esther asked. "Did you get something in your eyes?"

"No… I have this other gift. I… I can see into the future,"

"You mean you could have foretold that creature coming, and didn't take a chance to warn us?!" Swaine questioned.

"No! It doesn't work that way- I can't predict everything. I just receive these visions at random. And this latest vision I had… there was someone in it- A cloaked figure talking about the fall of 'The Pure Hearted One' and 'The Black Alchemist'."

"Pure-Hearted One?! That's Ollie-Boy!" Mr. Drippy yelped.

"And Vincent is known as the Black Alchemist," Zippy added. "But… we're not from this world- how could they know about him?"

"I don't know… but we'd better find answers, and fast." Liz added.

"We'd best get off the island, in case of another attack," Marcassin suggested.

Tengri growled softly, rubbing his eyes. "Tengri's vision is still blurred," Vincent said. "He may need to rest,"

"And I don't have enough magic left for Fast Travel," Oliver sighed, then turned to Marcassin. "Is Kublai still around?"

Marcassin shook his head. "I told him he could head back to Skull Mountain after giving us a lift," the young Sage sighed.

"Oi, don't fret so much, you lot!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed. "Did ya forget? Youer near th' Fairy Grounds! We've got enough magic to keep our territory safe from any creatures. We'll jus' rest up for th' night, then get th' flippin' heck out of here in th' morning!"

"We can take turns keeping watch, too, so everyone can rest." Liz added. "I'll keep first watch,"

"I'll stay up too," Swaine added- and Vincent figured it was because the thief still didn't trust them. "After what I just saw tonight, I won't be getting much sleep,"

Everyone agreed to the arrangements. Oliver, Mr. Drippy and Vincent went inside their own tent, as well as Zippy and Zeke; Esther and Marcassin were the only ones sleeping solo. Tengri lied close to the jungle, once in a while he would turn his head towards the sea, expecting some monster to rise out again. "It's alright, Tengri," Liz whispered to him, walking up and stroking the dragon. "You did good tonight, showing that monster who's boss- I doubt any more will be coming out with you around,"

Tengri smiled, nuzzling her, then lied his head down. Liz walked back over to the campfire, sitting across from Swaine. "So… what other secrets do you and your friends have?" the thief asked. "I mean, the immortality, the sooth-saying, the Black Alchemist bit… What else is there to know about you lot?"

"Figured you must be curious," Liz leaned back against a log. "I guess it's too late to say we're not like ordinary people- not in Oliver's world, that is. There's a lot to explain,"

Swaine shrugged. "Might as well tell your story. It's going to be a long night,"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Next chapter, we all swap life stories! (Stories around a campfire… how more cliché can we get?)


	7. Swapping Stories

Break out the s'mores supplies, guys. We're telling stories around the campfire!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"What's your story?" Swaine asked Liz.

"Kind of a long one," Liz answered. "I wasn't exactly born in a normal family. I carry this special trait a lot of people in my family possess."

"What kind of trait?"

"Well, we're werewolves. You got any of those around your world?"

Swaine rubbed his chin, pondering. "Not that I know of… What exactly do they look like?"

"Allow me to show you," Liz stood up, looking up at the moon in the sky.

Swaine watched, eyes wide, as Liz began to take form- sprouting fur, fangs, claws, and a tail, until she looked like a humanoid wolf. "Bloody hell! H-How'd you do that?!"

The she-wolf shrugged. "Like I said, family trait. Everyone in my family can do it. …Funny, you don't seem all that surprised."

"Well… you're not exactly the oddest creature I've seen- not that much different than a grimalkin… er, except for the wolf-part. Plus, compared to the beast we just faced, this is actually a step-down from shocking. Not exactly that terrifying,"

"I see… so why are your hands shaking?"

Swaine looked, seeing that his hands were trembling. He gripped his knees in order to steady them… but his legs only ended up shaking as well. "Access adrenaline, that's all it is! I'm, ah, quite energetic after a fight."

The she-wolf only chuckled. "Right… Well, I might as well introduce this part of me. My name is Tracker,"

Swaine arched an eyebrow. "I thought it was 'Liz'."

"That's my human-name. My werewolf name is Tracker. Think you can remember that?"

"Depends how much I can take in tonight… Is there anything else about yourself I should know?"

Tracker thought. "Well, my friends used to be werewolves as well."

"Used to be?"

She nodded. "Yes… but they separated from them using a spell, all of them deciding to go on with their own lives."

"You can do that, huh? Strange… What else is there about your friends?"

The she-wolf chuckled once more. "They'll have to tell you themselves. I only step in when they over-exaggerate things." She looked at the thief. "Now… what's your story?"

Swaine smirked. "Heh, I figured Marcassin told you our story… but I suppose I could tell you it again, that way you know all the details,"

_This is going to be a long night, _Tracker thought, but nodded. "Alright. So, you and Marcassin are brothers and both princes… and you're both in charge of Hamlein?"

The smirk faded from Swaine's face, and he nodded solemnly. "Yeah… we came to rule when we were young- well, Marcassin did at least. I took off to do something with my life, ending up as a thief later on since times were tough. Eventually, I was heart-broken, up until Oliver came along."

"Ouch… guess whoever broke your heart didn't figure you were a prince in disguise,"

Swaine gave a short laugh. "That's not exactly what I meant- though I did meet a nice woman every so often… But I broke my own heart. After I learned the skills in becoming a thief, I felt I could have whatever I wanted- lost restraint. It wasn't until I heard Hamelin was having trouble that I remembered Marcassin, and tried to find a way to get on a ship and get back home… That's pretty much when Oliver came along, and mended my heart."

Tracker nodded. "I see… but, didn't your parents worry?"

Swaine frowned. "Not exactly… Marcassin was the only one who knew, but I promised him I'd return whenever he needed me."

"I'm the same way with my friends… we're kind of family, too. Been watching each other's backs since we were all kids,"

"Heh, then you lot aren't that much different from the rest of us… save for a few traits and tricks,"

Tracker chuckled. "Right. I'd better change back- don't want anyone to see me and panic on sight," she then transformed back into Liz.

"Seriously… how do you do that? Is there an incantation you have to think about, or a certain trick?"

Liz shook her head. "I just think about becoming a werewolf and let Tracker take control. It kind of gets a little aggravating- having to deal with two identities at once. Be glad you don't have to handle that problem,"

Swaine scoffed. "You're talking to the thief who's a prince, I think I could understand."

Liz chuckled. "What was life like, being a thief?"

"Eh, pretty tough. I got caught a couple times, landed myself in prison once, maybe twice- had to learn to be quick on my feet, if my hands aren't quick enough. Stole whatever I wanted, or needed, often had to skip to the next town when my reputation started to spread… Heck, most people cursed my name, until I joined up with Oliver. …Some still do, and I don't just mean the enemies we've made."

_So, the opposite of Aladdin. _Liz joked in her mind. "What made you take it up?"

Swaine shrugged. "I was just a kid- pre-teen, is more like it. Ended up short on a few guilders, needed some tools from the Cawtermaster's… next thing you know, I'm running through alleys in Al-Mamoon, avoiding the royal guards. After that, it just became routine- if I was short on money and had nothing I wanted to trade, I put my pick-pocket pistol to the test," he took out his gun. "This thing came in handy when swiping things from a distance,"

"How does it work?"

"I'll show you next time we're walking about." He put his gun away. "So, you said most people get shocked about seeing a werewolf, huh?"

"Yeah. My dad didn't exactly have the problem much- he was actually a hero. But, sometimes people just react differently… some even tried to hunt us,"

Swaine arched an eyebrow. "Hunting a walking, talking wolf? Why would they do that?"

"Because… well, some people believe my kind to be killers, because centuries ago tales began to be told about werewolves who kidnapped children, or hunted down people, or attacked villages… but back in those days, people were over-cautious and paranoid about stuff they didn't understand. Almost like the Salem Witch Trials,"

"The what?"

"Oh, right, you live in another world… well, hundreds of years ago, when our country was still young, people in a town called Salem were accused of using witchcraft and sorcery, devil-work they'd call it. A lot of people were accused of being witches, some people even accused people just because they didn't like them. Those who denied being witches were instantly killed because no one believed them, while those who claimed it true were allowed to live."

"That's kind of messed up, isn't it? …So, people in your world see magic as evil, do they?"

Liz shrugged. "Some do, yeah. …I can't really make a judgment, since my friends and I know a bit of magic as well, but we never use it for evil purposes. Zippy doesn't really use it at all, only when she has no other choice,"

"What kind of magic do you know?"

"Same as Vincent's. I don't really use mine, though. I rely on my werewolf-half and own wits,"

Swaine smirked. "Well, glad I'm not the only one. I don't use magic either, outside of my familiars. I normally just rely on my own skills,"

Liz smiled. "Guess you're right- we're all not so different after all,"

They heard someone coming out of the tent, and saw Oliver and Vincent step out. "How come you two are awake?"

"We couldn't sleep- we kept hearing you talking," Vincent answered. "I think only Mr. Drippy managed to fall asleep,"

"We're too busy wondering who might be after us, too." Oliver added. "If you guys want, we can take over the watch for you."

Swaine stretched. "Yeah, well, if you insist… I guess I could turn in," he said, yawning a bit.

"What happened to all that 'access adrenaline' you were talking about?" Liz questioned, smirking.

Swaine gave her a look. "It ran out after I met a werewolf," he then crawled into his and Marcassin's tent.

"Werewolf?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah… I'll show you tomorrow," Liz answered, then climbed into hers and Esther's tent.

Oliver and Vincent sat down by the fire. "Liz is a werewolf?"

"Oh yeah. Tracker- that's what we call her werewolf half- comes in pretty handy. Almost makes me wish I never separated from Silver," Vincent replied casually, as if talking about werewolves was a common thing.

"Silver?"

"My werewolf half… well, former werewolf half, since we separated." Vincent stuck a marshmallow on a stick, roasting it. "You see, Zippy and I used to be werewolves. Not the murderous, animalistic kind you'd see in movies though. They're quite decent like any other human- just furry."

"Oh. So, what did you mean by 'separating' from him?"

"It was the work of an Ink Alchemy spell… It's kind of complicated to explain. The reason we separated was because we felt we should move on with our own identities. He still lives in our part of the world, visiting members of mine and Liz's family, often contacting me if anything happens. Stalker- Zippy's ex-werewolf half- only separated from her so Silver wouldn't feel alone,"

"Jeepers. So, wait, werewolves exist in OUR world?"

"Oh yes… I guess they just lay low, so not to get hunted, even though most of them are very peaceful."

"Most of them? So there are evil werewolves too,"

"Yes- just as there's good and evil in people, same goes for werewolves, vampires… even wizards like you and me."

"Vampires?"

"Yes. Maybe someday you'll meet one- I have a good friend who's a vampire, and also mastered wizardry… in fact, he makes wands like this one," Vincent held up his wand- it had a twisted shaft, leather handle and crystal at the tip. "He made this for me for my birthday,"

"Neato! …So, how did you find out you were a wizard?"

Vincent drew in a deep breath, pulling his marshmallow from the fire, sticking the toasted treat onto a graham cracker and chocolate bar. "When I was little. My mom actually got me into it, and my dad trained me whenever he visited- they were divorced and my dad had another family. My mom managed though, finding another man who also had a kid, and things were going great, and she had planned on moving in with him after their marriage. We were in London visiting my birth-dad… but…" he paused, sighing.

Oliver looked at him, concerned. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's a sad memory… There was a dark wizard after me. He killed my mom and had my father vanish for years, trying to get to me. Luckily, my mom had a big family, who each took care of me, teaching me everything I needed to know in order to survive. One day, when I was ten, I met Wh- I mean, Zippy, and Liz, and we ran away together. …Ever since then, we've been travelling, taking out any evil in our wake." He looked up at the stars. "I encountered that dark wizard again, and together we took him out… I kept feeling my mom's presence the whole time, like she was watching over me. I saw her angel, actually, a couple times."

Oliver winced. "I… I lost my mom a long time ago, too, and that's how I met Mr. Drippy- he showed me how to use magic and enter this world, and I learned every spell I needed to defeat the Dark Djinn, Shadar. I saw my mom's spirit too… I also learned Shadar had been a great wizard too, named Lucien, but fell into despair and began to break hearts. He was also my soul-mate… the parallel version of me. When I defeated him, he broke our link so I wouldn't die,"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, we learned about soul-mates in this world… I wonder what would happen if we encountered our own?"

Oliver shrugged. "I don't know. When Esther, Swaine, and Marcassin come with me to our world, no one can see them… I figured it would be the same if someone from my world came along. But… I wonder why it's not the same with the rest of you?"

Vincent pondered a bit. _We come from another time… Our soul-mates might not have been born yet, so that could be a reason. Or, because I'm a Time Lord and regenerate, I don't have one… what a sad thought. _"I wish I had an explanation to give. But you're from our world- how could others here see you, if you believed that logic worked the same as it did in your world?"

"Oi, mun, jus' when I thought ye were smart!" came a voice, and Mr. Drippy hopped onto the log next to him.

"Mr. Drippy? We thought you were asleep!" Oliver said, surprised.

"Who can talk wit' th' lot o' ya yapping all night?" Mr. Drippy ate a marshmallow then turned to Vincent. "Now, listen close, 'cuz I'm only gonna tell ya this once. Ready?"

Vincent nodded.

"Alright, here goes. In youer world, people can't see anyone from this world 'cuz it's magic-based, see, an' they en't got enough senses tah notice anythin' magical, save for animals since their instincts are super-sensitive. Ollie-boy was born wit' magic inside him, an' since he was raised in youer world, it sort o' balances it out. Alicia was th' same- used a spell to travel through time an' to youer world, breakin' th' link wit' her soul-mate, so she wouldn't have one in that world, makin' it to where everyone could see her, like.

"As for you and youer friends, it could be a different case- two, possibly. Either by traveling here ya broke a link wit' youer soul-mates, or since youe're magic-based youe're as balanced as Ollie-boy was. …Another possibility is that one o' us is dreamin' 'bout this whole thing."

"But, what would happen if we encountered our soul-mates, while the link was still intact?" Vincent asked. "Would it cause some sort of paradox?"

"Ah, not quite… could cause a bit o' shock, seein' another person jus' like ya in another world, possibly ending in a conflict. En't that right, Ollie-boy? Boy, th' shock about finding out ya were Shadar's soul-mate!"

"It was shocking… but I managed to move on from it," Oliver replied. "I still fought him without worrying about what would happen,"

Mr. Drippy gave him a look. "I wasn't talkin' 'bout you, mun! I was talkin' bout th' rest o' us! We had tah help ya fight youerself! Crikey, talk 'bout an identity crisis!"

"Yeah… but I still wonder who my soul-mate could be?" Vincent asked. "If we didn't break the link, I mean… What exactly would happen if the link was broken?"

Mr. Drippy sighed. "Oi, not a happy ending, mun. Sometimes, when th' link is severed, one o' th' souls passes on; or such soul would remain, but would feel lost, wondering what their purpose is- 'searchin' for themselves' is more like it. Ya know, those people who don't know what they were put on this planet for,"

"My mom said soul-mates can be reborn, though." Oliver said. "She said that's what happened with Shadar and I… She absorbed the soul of his last soul-mate,"

"I see… but, if you don't mind my asking, wouldn't it take more than that? I mean, she couldn't just 'absorb' his soul to make you… I think you had to have been conceived first,"

"Oi! Take it easy, mun! Ollie-boy doesn't know all th' facts o' life yet!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed. "Sheesh, talk 'bout a set-up in the story 'bout th' birds and bees!"

Vincent blushed, a bead of sweat appearing on the corner of his head. "O-Oh! No, I wasn't-"

"No, since ya brought it up, it's high-time Oliver had this talk. Been avoiding it too long, I have," Mr. Drippy turned back to Oliver. "Ya see, mun, when two people fall in love- or, in my case, when Fairy Godmother has produced a new batch of littlies inside her belly…"

"Um, i-it's alright Mr. Drippy! You don't have to tell me, I already know!" Oliver said hastily, blushing as well.

"Yeah right, mun! I remember how confused ye were after th' first time we dropped off Prince Ali and Yasmina in Al-Mamoon! Unless Thief-Face or Esthy-Girl had this talk wit' ya already, I think it's time for ya to know-"

"Mr. Drippy, what are you talking about?" Esther asked, poking her head out of the tent groggily, after hearing her name be brought up.

"Ugh… what's all the yakking about?" Zeke added, poking his head out as well.

"Jus' 'bout ready to give Ollie-boy a talk about th' reproduction o' life, considering Vinny-boy brought it up," Mr. Drippy replied (Vincent and Oliver's faces turned a deeper shade of red). "Would ye two know something 'bout it?"

"Um… what do you mean?" Esther asked, still a bit sleepy so she didn't fully understand.

"Huh?" Zeke added, having been drifting halfway back to sleep himself.

"Oi, ya mean ye don't know about it either?! Lord help me if Swaine is clueless too!"

"Would you lot shut up out here already?! I'm trying to sleep!" The thief himself shouted, poking his head out of his tent next.

"What's going on?" Marcassin asked in a yawn.

"Is something wrong?" Liz added, stepping out beside Esther.

"Unless there's another monster attacking, there had better be a good reason for all the shouting," Zippy muttered, coming out next.

"Oi, there is, Zippy, there is. Turns out we've got a few kids who need a lesson in biology, when it comes to how people are made," Mr. Drippy answered (again, Oliver and Vincent blushed deep).

"What?!" Esther and Zeke yelped, now fully awake to understand.

"You mean you're keeping me from sleep just because… oh, for crying out loud, I'm going back to sleep," Swaine muttered, crawling back inside his tent.

"Um, Mr. Drippy, I think 'the talk' can wait for later," Vincent said, meekly.

"Yeah, a lot of us already know about it, anyway." Zippy added.

"Considerin' ye got youer genders mixed up, I think ya missed something, 'lass'," Mr. Drippy replied. Zeke chuckled while Zippy glared. "Same goes for you too, Zeke!" Zeke paused, blushing.

"Um, Mr. Drippy, can it wait? It's getting pretty late," Esther replied. "And we should really be keeping watch,"

"Ah, I get it- you lot en't ready tah here th' truth, I get it. Alright, well, when youe've got questions, I've got answers!" Mr. Drippy headed for his tent. "In th' meantime, I guess it's time tah turn in- jus' hold off on th' conversations, otherwise we'll all be up all night!"

Everyone sighed, returning to their own tents to sleep. Vincent and Oliver continued sitting by the campfire, deciding to stay quiet for a short while, until they were sure everyone was back to sleep.

"So… who do you think is after us?" Vincent asked in a whisper, after 20 minutes went by.

"I don't know. We may have to travel around, make sure everyone is alright, and see if there's any clues," Oliver said. "All we know right now is that they could conjure that monster from the dead…" he looked at Vincent. "Do… do you know someone like that?"

Vincent didn't have to think, remembering having to slaughter a horde of zombies more than once. "Yes. Finneas, the dark wizard I had to face, conjured up zombies to fight us… but that monster was more than just some walking corpse."

"Do you think… it might be Finneas' soul-mate doing this?"

Vincent pondered this, though remembered that Finneas wouldn't be born for a few more years… unless this unknown enemy was no different than Shadar, severing soul-mate links in order to avoid having one and being easily defeated. "I don't know… If it was, I doubt he would be as powerful,"

Oliver only nodded.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Two hours passed, and Oliver was beginning to grow tired, as was Vincent. They had talked about their own spells, Oliver showed him the three familiars he had with him, and Vincent told him more facts about werewolves, trying to stay awake as long as they could. Finally, they decided to turn in. Vincent asked Zippy to take over while Oliver asked Marcassin (while avoiding waking Swaine, knowing how irritable the thief could get).

"Man, only two hours of sleep? Sheesh, I'm going to need a lot of coffee in the morning," Zippy commented, lying back on a log and looking up at the stars.

Marcassin only nodded. "I'm surprised anyone can sleep. Granted, we've faced many fierce opponents before, but this mysterious villain your brother foretold us about seems to be twice as threatening, if he can summon the dead like that." He commented. "The only case that comes close enough is when Cassiopeia, when she was the White Witch, cast the _manna_ spell and turned everyone into evil, zombified manifestations of themselves,"

"Well, you know what they say about manna- it's good for one day, then it turns rotten,"

The young sage arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It's a Biblical reference- it was a food God supplied to the Israelites in the wilderness, yet warned them that it would expire the next day."

"I see. That's purely different than the results we had to face,"

"Yeah… but, back to the original subject, there must be a different spell, like one no one's learned of yet. Probably the one Finneas used,"

"Tell me about this Finneas character,"

Zippy stuck a marshmallow on a stick, roasting it. "He was your basic evil sorcerer- long-lost brother of Voldemort, another evil sorcerer, yet no one knew because when Finneas was born, they believed he was a still-birth, threw him into the garbage, where he was found by Marlow, another evil dude, who raised him and blah blah blah he grows up bad, goes around hexing and killing people, up until my friends and I took him out. …Anyway, he used this spell that conjured zombies from the dead- and believe me, you haven't LIVED until you've gone zombie-bashing!" she looked, seeing her marshmallow caught fire and melted off the stick, falling into the flames. "(ahem) But, that's another story…"

Marcassin rubbed his chin. "It seems you all have had quite the adventures… Yet, I wonder why Oliver never encountered such things in your world."

Zippy shrugged. "Sometimes it stays hidden. People in my world believe wizardry and witchcraft to be evil. Being Christian, I abide by this… but, I also believe that, if one has a gift, they should use it for good, and those who use it for evil are truly evil. Me… I just use mine when it's an emergency- or when I'm bored, but I choose to stand by my faith. …Am I being too preachy?"

Marcassin shook his head. "It's not my judgment to make, Zippy. What you choose to do is your choice,"

"Alright! Someone gets it! Gimme five!" she raised her hand, holding it up, waiting for a high-five.

Marcassin only blinked. "Five what?"

"Uh… we'll work on it," Zippy stuck another marshmallow on a stick, roasting it. "So, what's your story? What's it like being a young ruler of Hamelin?"

The young sage sighed. "Stressful at times. I came to rule when I was very young, at least six or seven. My father had been assassinated by Shadar, and Gascon- my brother- had taken off to do something with his life. The captain of the guards helped me out by keeping watch over the city, while I learned what it takes to watch over a kingdom… but as years passed, I began to lose belief- not only in myself, but in everyone. Soon, I was having everyone wear pig masks, myself included, and closing off trades, and avoiding eye-contact… I was heartbroken. Then, once Oliver came and mended my broken heart, everything changed for the better- I removed the ridiculous laws I had made, got back into trading, and started to believe again, especially in Oliver in his quest to defeat Shadar,"

"So everything's going smoothly now, huh?"

Marcassin nodded, then sighed. "I just hope it stays that way. If we're under another threat, something horrible could happen…"

Zippy scoffed. "Not with you guys around. If anything goes wrong, you've got several friends to help you out," she stood up, taking a bow. "And if it pleases your majesty, I will humbly provide my services to help protect your kingdom."

Marcassin gave a smile. "Heh, thank you, Zippy. I'll keep that in mind,"

They sat in silence after that. Only 15 minutes went by until Zippy claimed she would scout around to make sure everything was alright, Marcassin obliging and stating he would stick around, as well as telling her to be careful.

_He doesn't seem all that social, does he? _Zippy thought to herself as she walked. _Then again, who can blame him? If I spent my whole childhood and teenage years alone in a castle, I wouldn't have too much to talk about either. Heck, I still get that way, because of babysitting-_

She paused then, flinching as suddenly her black hair suddenly turned blonde, before flickering back to black. _Careful, nimrod! Remember what Vincent said- in order to stay in Ego form, you can't let the past get to you. You have to focus on keeping Peace within. _

She looked over at the ocean, seeing the stars in the sky, the moonlight reflecting off the waves as they rolled onto the shore. Drawing in a deep breath and letting it out, Zippy sighed happily. _God truly knows how to make beautiful scenery- and blessed Miyazaki with the talent of creating images so glorious. _She looked around, feeling how peaceful everything was, when she noticed a vapor rising from the bushes.

Cautiously, she walked over, peeking through the bushes… discovering it was a hot-spring, a couple fairies in swimsuits wading in it. "Oi, evenin' lad! Bit late fer ya to be wanderin' round, don't ya think?" one of the fairies, who had round Mickey Mouse-like ears and wearing a red-and-white striped swimsuit, their voice deep, said to her.

"Just camping out with some friends, wanting to make sure there wasn't any trouble lurking," Zippy answered.

"Trouble? En't ever any trouble 'round th' Fairy Grounds, kiddo." Said another fairy, with pointed, droopy ears, pink blushes on his cheeks, and wearing a green swimsuit.

"What 'bout all that roarin' we heard earlier, mun?" Another fairy, this one female with a pink swimsuit, long eyelashes, and curly red hair, questioned as she looked at the other two. "Thought it was Fairy Godmother's stomach growlin', I did, till I noticed it came from th' beach!"

"Do you know anythin' bout that, lad?" The green-suited fairy asked.

"Yeah, some monster rose up to the shore, and my friends and I helped Oliver and his pals take it out," Zippy answered.

"Oi! Ollie-boy's here too, huh? Ask him if he's willin' to pop on by tomorrow- Smiley an' Surly got a new act goin' on in th' afternoon!" the striped-suit fairy exclaimed.

Zippy chuckled. "Will do. You guys have a nice night!"

"Ya too, lad!" The female fairy called, as Zippy headed back to camp.

Back with Marcassin, as Zippy was walking around, he lost himself in deep thought. _Something truly seems odd about our new acquaintances, _he thought to himself. _What exactly is this 'ink-alchemy' Vincent told us about, and why didn't he use it during battle? And how could this 'Miyazaki' person know so much about Alicia, yet we never heard of him, much less why Oliver has never met him… Perhaps it was a lie to cover up how they really learned about this world- perhaps Zeke's power led them here. _

_I also sense a strange aura about Vincent and Zippy… _his mind continued to wander. _I can't really explain it… but I feel as if there's a secret they both share. Then again, they could all have secrets… Who exactly are they?_

Zippy returned, sitting down. "Area's clear, save for some fairies hanging out around a hot-spring," she said to him.

"Good. …Zippy, might I ask you something?" Marcassin replied.

"Go ahead, I'm an open book,"

"Exactly… what part of Oliver's world are you from? I mean, where did your adventures take place? How did you all meet?"

Zippy drew in a deep breath, slowly letting it out as she rubbed the back of her neck, pondering how to explain everything to the young sage without causing him to either believe she was insane (if he didn't question it already), or end up confusing him. "Well… you know how I said our kind of magic is hidden? Well, there's another place, this 'realm' we've all gone to, where we learned about it all. It's almost like this world, where you either need a spell to open a portal, or be a portal-maker,"

"Portal-maker?"

Zippy nodded. "Do you remember during our battle, when that portal opened up behind the monster, causing the spikes he flung at us to stab him in the back? Zeke opened that portal,"

Marcassin's eyes widened. "He did?! How?"

"The amulet around his neck- it gives him the power to open portals. WG- er, his 'other' sister- was born with portal-making abilities, and shared some of it with him, so that no matter where they went, they could always open a portal to see one another. Zeke actually does it quite better- like how he did in battle tonight."

"But, he was unconscious, wasn't he?"

"Maybe- sometimes when he gets impaled, he fades in-and-out of consciousness, until whatever he was stabbed with is pulled out. But I think he managed to regain consciousness long enough to open a portal between us and the monster, and have the other end of it open behind the monster.

"I didn't see a portal between us, though."

"Of course not- when a portal is open, there's only a front, which you can't see unless you stand on the right side. The back of it opens up elsewhere, where you exit."

"Interesting… So, WG is your sister, is she?"

"Zeke's sister, yes. Well, adoptive sister, actually… But that's a story he'll have to share,"

Marcassin nodded. "So, this other realm… what is it called?"

Zippy stretched. "That, my friend, will have to wait."

He arched an eyebrow. "For how long?"

Zippy smirked. "Depends how long it takes you to understand my level of sanity,"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Marcassin had decided to put the conversation on hold after that, as he felt Zippy wouldn't really give him a straight answer until he understood her better… which kind of startled him, as the girl seemed weird enough already.

They sat in silence for three hours, Zippy occasionally asking if he would like a s'more (which he turned down, considering she burned a few marshmallows), or going over to pet Tengri, or stare up at the stars. Finally, they decided to wake up Esther and Zeke to take over the shift, both of them wanting to resume sleep.

"Goodnight, ZIP- don't let the boogeyman getcha," Zeke joked.

Zippy gave her brother a glare. "Not funny, Ezekiel!" she sneered, as she crawled into the tent.

Esther gave Zeke a questionable look. "She's afraid of the dark."

"That's a little mean, isn't it?" Esther lightly scolded.

"Ah, I scare her to tease, she stabs me to ease her stress, I think we're even."

Esther's eyes widened. "She… STABS you?!"

"Yeah, when she's not shooting me."

"And… you just let her?"

"To tell the truth, I bring it upon myself from teasing her. …Actually, I don't really know which one of us started it first," he noticed the shocked look on Esther's face. "But don't worry about it! She's actually lightened up since she and Vincent started going out- I think he helps ease her down, especially since he and Liz both know what it's like to have problems,"

Esther cocked her head. "Problems? What kind of problems?"

"One of every kind it feels like, but they're kind of personal. I think Zippy's is the only one I can talk about, since she rants about it to everyone once in a while, and we both share it of course."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Zeke shrugged. "Only if you want to listen,"

Esther gave a nod.

"Alright. It started when I first met WG- she's my 'other' sister,"

"Met? Were you separated?"

Zeke chuckled. "Sometimes I think so. You see, I'm actually an orphan- but I don't really know much about my past. It's like I just 'woke up' as a 13-year-old boy, never having been born…"

"So, you have amnesia?"

"Not quite, because I remember who I am. My name is Ezekiel Joshua Zachariah, I can't die or age, I love classic music, animals, reading and drawing; I hate perverted material, animal and child abuse, and driving."

"You can't age? So… how long have you've been 13?"

"About… maybe 85 years, if my math is correct."

Esther's eyes widened. "85 years?"

"Well, it wouldn't be so high, if I hadn't got sent back in time… but lets get back to the original story before I start a new one."

Esther nodded. "Right, sorry."

"It's okay, my fault for rambling… Anyway, I met WG at a park once, and we kind of struck up a conversation. I told her how I was an orphan and had no idea who my family was, and she brought me home with her. Our mom wanted to make sure my story checked out and did some background research, finding that I had some records, but they didn't make sense because they were from another time, which confused all of us (up until I was sent back in time). When we couldn't find solid evidence of where I came from or who I belonged to, the family just decided to take me in."

Esther smiled. "That's sweet,"

"Not really… Remember how I said WG and I shared a problem?" Esther nodded. "Well… she had this older sister, Jennifer. She liked to order WG around and tease her- and not the way I tease her, she was cruel! Like this one time, she lied to WG claiming their parents were sending her away, just to get WG to share a room with her, or blackmailing her with secrets WG made her promise to keep! She tried to push me around too, but I stood up to her- and she would slap me or lock me outside, calling me names and telling me what I loser I was."

"That's awful!"

"Yeah, makes getting shot sound nice." He sighed, leaning back. "She just wanted to be in control… it was so bad that she wouldn't even let WG take off with Shaun- that is, WG's boyfriend. I guess she was just protective, since she didn't really know Shaun… then again, she never really took time to get to know much about WG's life, except it was stuff to hold against her. In my opinion, I think Shaun was a way for WG to escape, and Jen knew that, and didn't want to lose control over her."

"This almost sounds like the tale of _Ashanna_."

"Ashanna?"

"Yes. It was about this girl, Ashanna who was born in a wealthy family, but one day she lost her mother and her father married another woman, who had another daughter. The father then died a year after their marriage, and the step-mother spent all the money on her own daughter, making them too poor to keep their servants… so she made Ashanna a slave, making her do all the work, making sure she never went into town because she was so beautiful, and the step-mother was worried a young gentleman would ask her to marry him, and then the step-mother would lose control of her.

"Then one night there was a ball at a palace, where all the young girls were invited to go, as the prince was looking for a bride. The step-mother decided to send her daughter, and locked Ashanna in the cellar so she couldn't go. But Ashanna was visited by the spirit of a witch, who claimed she knew what it was like to be mistreated, and said she would use her magic to help Ashanna, but only until midnight. Ashanna only asked for a beautiful dress so she could go to the ball, and the witch's spirit granted her one, and helped her get to the palace for the ball.

"When the prince saw her, he was immediately infatuated and they spent the evening dancing, laughing, and exploring the palace, while the witch's spirit made sure her step-sister didn't see her. The prince then asked if she would be his bride, but the clock chimed midnight, and Ashanna's dress disappeared, replaced by the rags her step-mother forced her to wear. She then ran away, worried the prince wouldn't love her now that he saw she was just a slave. The only item that didn't vanish was the tiara she had worn, which fell off after she ran away."

_Sounds like a rip-off of Cinderella. _Zeke thought, but listened to the rest of the story.

"The Prince kept the tiara, hoping to find the girl and making a proclamation that whoever knows where to find Ashanna, they should tell him immediately. When the step-mother heard this, she was furious…" Esther bowed her head, sadly. "So furious, that she killed Ashanna in a forest, leaving her body to rot, and told the Prince that she was so ashamed of herself that she committed suicide, and instead offered her own daughter to marry the Prince, and they were wed at once. …They say the night of their wedding, the castle was burned to the ground, as if Ashanna's spirit cursed the marriage, and that her tiara can be found in the ruins, and if a mistreated maiden wore it, she would be princess for one night and find love, and her spirit would help them so they wouldn't end up sharing her fate."

Zeke gawked. "Whoa… um… yeah, WG's story is different. She got to see her prince every day. But our sister never left her alone- heck, she even talked WG into babysitting her kids while she worked… and she worked up to 10 hours a day!" he slouched a bit. "I ended up helping too- just so WG could get a break… until Jen fired me because she claimed having one 'freak' watch her kids was bad enough."

"Why would your sister agree to watch her kids, if she was so mean?" Esther questioned.

"Probably so they wouldn't grow up to be so mean, too."

Esther shook her head. "That's so sad…"

"Not really. Shaun and Liz helped her out, and of course she had a neat 'little brother' like me as well,"

"Where is she now?"

"On vacation with Shaun and… um, a few other friends," Zeke cleared his throat, to cover up the fact that he nearly let a secret slip.

"I see… So, how did you meet Zippy?"

"Well, she and WG are related, in a way. They share the same blood- how, I can't explain. Lets just say that when Zippy's around, Jen backs off and doesn't come around until she's gone,"

"Hmph, good."

"Now, enough about me. Tell me about your life,"

Esther sighed. "There's not too much to tell. I used to work with my mother at the babana stand in Al-Mamoon. My father, the great sage Rashaad, would always go to the Temple of Trials to see the Supreme Sage, Solomon, to discuss important matters, or to help Queen Lowlah with urgent business. My mother died when I was seven, so my father had to run the babana stand while juggle the responsibilities of a sage and a father… that is, until Shadar broke my heart when I was ten, after my father defied him. For years I went without courage, and even closed my heart to everyone. Then Oliver came, and somehow opened my heart by helping my soul-mate, Myrtle, and restored my courage. After training with him at the Temple of Trials, I've stuck by his side, not only to show him my gratitude, but to share a friendship with him and prove he wouldn't be alone on his quest,"

Zeke smiled, his eyes bubbly. "That's so sweet!" Suddenly, there was a *pop* as his hat flew off, and pieces of candy shot out of his head like a small fountain.

Esther stared. "Um… there's candy coming out of your head,"

Zeke gasped and grabbed his hat, pulling it over his head to keep candy from coming out. "Crap, I forgot about that! How embarrassing…"

"Is that another… 'gift' of yours?"

"Yeah… don't ask why, but every time I hear or see something that I find extremely cute, something sweet pops out of my head." He pulled his hat further over his face as he continued to blush. "It first happened when WG and I saw a litter of kittens playing, and suddenly Skittles© started raining out of my head."

Esther giggled, lifting his hat so she could look him in the eyes. "Don't be embarrassed- I think it's neat!" she picked up a piece of candy, eating it. "Not bad, either."

"Yeah, up until Zippy nicknamed me the 'candy dispenser'."

"I still think it's cool. …And it kind of suits you, since you're pretty sweet."

He blushed deeper, smiling. "Okay, if you're just saying that to get more candy, stop!" he chuckled, while Esther giggled.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The early light of dawn peeked over the horizon, as Esther and Zeke swapped stories, Esther telling him about all the familiars she had tamed, while he told her about all the pets he and WG had kept over the years (as well as stating how Zippy also shared her pets with him). They then swapped fairytale stories- Zeke comparing the stories Esther told him to ones they resembled, like _Cinderella _and _The Frog Prince. _By the time they ran out of conversation, morning was arriving, and the others were waking up.

Zippy stepped out first, carrying a towel. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at a hot-spring," she said, walking off.

"She found a hot-spring?" Esther questioned.

"Aye, probably the one close to th' Fairy Grounds," Mr. Drippy stated. "Everyone likes to go there to unwind, from time to time. Not at this houer though, so th' lucky lass may have it to herself,"

"What's this about a what now?" Swaine asked groggily, crawling out of his tent.

"Zippy found a hot-spring, in that direction," Oliver replied, pointing where Zippy walked.

"Whatever…" Swaine stood up and stretched, sitting down on a log.

"I'm heading back to bed," Zeke said with a yawn, crawling in his tent. "Wake me when it's time for lunch,"

"I'm going back to sleep, too." Esther added, crawling back in her tent.

"Looks like we're the only ones having breakfast," Liz stated. "What are we having?"

"We may have to head to the Fairy Grounds, all we have is marshmallows and hot-dogs," Oliver said.

"Lets go then," Mr. Drippy stated.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on things," Swaine yawned.

"Try to stay awake," Vincent joked, earning a sneer from the thief.

"We'll bring you back something." Marcassin said.

Swaine shrugged, leaning against the log. He then noticed Zippy wasn't with them. _He probably decided to sleep in, _he figured. "Have fun," he said, as the group walked up the path.

"We should grab something for Zippy, too. She might be hungry," Oliver said as they approached the Fairygrounds.

Liz chuckled. "Might want to stock up- Zippy is ALWAYS hungry," she commented.

As they walked, they failed to notice Swaine sneaking through the bushes. "Now, which way was that hot-spring?" he whispered to himself, making his way through the foliage.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_She looked back at the house once, then ran down the street, where the TARDIS stood, everyone waiting for her. She had told her friends she finally got time off to travel with them for two weeks… but she didn't tell her family._

_Because she didn't plan on coming back._

Zippy opened her eyes. It had been twenty minutes since she found the hot-springs and jumped in, having been wearing her swimsuit underneath her clothes, which sat by a rock.

The hot-springs, she noticed, was a horse-shoe shape, with a tree and a couple bushes planted at the curve, as if to give both sides of it privacy. She sat on the left side, having been trying to relax, when thoughts of home drifted to mind, though she quickly pushed them away- thinking about home would break her peace, not to mention distract her from the fact that she was in the world of _Ni No Kuni_, and she planned on having a good time… even though their lives were at stake with some new enemy, but facing baddies was a regular thing for all of them.

*Splash*

She heard a sound from the other side, but shrugged. _Probably just another fairy coming by for a dip, _she thought. Figuring it would be rude to pretend she wasn't there and frighten whoever was on the other side, she decided to wade over…

"_Your peace will soon end…" _came a raspy voice behind her.

"Huh?!" Zippy gasped, turning around, but saw no one, and cautiously began to back up. "Who was that?"

*bump*

"YAH!/AUGH!" She and whoever was behind her both screamed, and she turned around…

All color drained from her face, save for a blush that rose to her cheeks. Standing before her, shirtless from the shoulders to his stomach, was Swaine. Both of them stood there, too embarrassed to speak. It was then Zippy remembered that Swaine never learned that she was actually a girl, and was probably wondering why a 'boy' was wearing a girl's swimsuit. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain the truth, or ask how he got there.

"Please tell me you're wearing bottoms," She stated instead.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Of all the awkward moments I've ever included in Fan-Fiction… this one takes the cake. Basically I wanted Swaine to figure out the truth about Zippy in a funny way- and this was what I came up with. *face-palm* Curse my imagination…

The scene was actually inspired by a chapter of the story, "Two Hearts" by _Juno's Peacock, _though while that scene included more drama, this one will be more humorous (at the risk of me being humiliated until the end of the world).

At least we got some suspense and backstories in. Next chapter… hopefully no one dies from embarrassment.

Review, don't flame, and _shut up unless you want to be in a worse position_!


	8. Tengri's Gone Blind!

And now to get this awkward moment over and done with.

Swaine: Couldn't agree more. (…for once…).

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Swaine wouldn't have been shocked and speechless to see Zippy in the hot-spring if the circumstances were different. Surprised, sure- after all, he only met these strangers just yesterday, and possibly claim he was in the hot-springs first, both the guys arguing about it, probably trying to drown each other, causing a commotion that would alert the others to break up the quarrel. Or maybe he would take a more laid-back approach, asking why Zippy was there so early, probably swapping a couple smart-remarks but keeping cool afterwards.

But there was just one thing that made both situations seem impossible to follow through with.

That being: Zippy was a GIRL!

At first, the thief didn't notice right away- the first thing that came to mind was that Zippy was a boy who had a weird habit of wearing girls' outfits. But seeing how she covered herself, blushed, and how slim she was, and how at a closer examination showed how long her eyelashes were, it was clear she was a girl.

And Swaine was embarrassed, especially from her statement, "Please tell me you're wearing bottoms."

Yeah,_ that_ didn't make the situation any less humiliating!

As for Zippy, well… she wished she could go under water and drown herself.

"What… what are you doing here?" Swaine sputtered once he regained his senses.

"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Zippy answered, trying to overcome her embarrassment, but to no prevail. "What's the big idea, jumping in without warning?"

"I didn't know anyone else was here! And you could have given me warning, too! Didn't you hear me coming by?"

"I heard you getting in…" Zippy paused, remembering the eerie voice she had heard. "Then I heard someone from over there," she pointed over to the bushes where she had heard the voice. "But when I looked, I didn't see anyone."

Swaine looked over, arching an eyebrow. "Well, what did they say?"

"'Your peace will end soon'… Do you think it was whoever sent that monster,"

Swaine scoffed. "That, or it was someone warning us about this awkward situation. But to be serious, we should tell the others,"

Zippy nodded. "Right." She paused once more. "But, uh, lets leave out the fact we were in a hot-spring at the time,"

Swaine blushed, nodding. "Oh yeah. And never bring this up again."

"Heck yeah,"

They went back to their own sides of the hot-spring, climbing out and getting dressed. They then headed back towards the camp, finding Esther and Zeke were still asleep and the others were probably still at the Fairy Grounds. The campfire was almost out and Zippy threw in a couple more logs, to help both of them dry quicker.

"So… you're a girl, huh?" Swaine said, clearing his throat.

"Yeah." Zippy answered.

"Why do you dress like a guy?"

"It's just more comfortable. Besides, I hate wearing dresses and jewelry, save for my cross-necklace…" she held up a stainless steel cross on a chain that she wore around her neck. Then she held out her hand, showing a ring with a symbol of two hands holding up a crowned-heart on it. "And this ring Vincent gave to me,"

Swaine smirked. "So you and Vincent are an item, huh? Wonder how I could have missed that. …But, doesn't it get irritating? Everyone mistaking you for a guy?"

"Not really- I like throwing people off like that. Heck, when we told everyone last night about it, their reactions were hilarious!"

"You mean everyone knows this already?!"

"Yeah- truth was revealed after you hit the sack,"

Swaine rolled his eyes. "Wish Liz filled me in on THAT bit of information, considering it's more shocking than learning she's a werewolf,"

"Ah, she told you huh? …Can you show me the face you made?"

The thief gave her a glare. "Trust me, it's not as good as the one YOU made ten minutes ago,"

Zippy scoffed. "No, but the face you made at the same time was probably better."

He shook his head. "So, why do you prefer to throw everyone off?"

Zippy shrugged. "People just always make that mistake about me- thinking I'm a little kid when I'm really 23; thinking I'm a boy when I'm a girl; thinking I'm a dumbass when really I'm more intelligent than they give me credit for, like my sister-" she gasped just then.

Swaine's eyes widened when he watched as Zippy's hair went from black to blonde for two seconds, before flickering back to black.

"B-But sisters always say things like that!" Zippy cleared her throat. "So, yeah, people just always assume-"

"What the hell was that just now?!" Swaine demanded, cutting her off.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'?! Your hair just changed color!"

Zippy sighed. "Alright, alright… Black isn't really my natural hair-color. I, ah, used this power of mine that allows me to change it."

"Why?"

"Well, when you've heard one too many 'dumb blonde' jokes and want black hair, this is the result. I mean, c'mon, didn't you change your looks at one point in your life?"

Swaine considered this, remembering how he looked the moment he left home- his hair was a lighter color and more combed down, rather than all dark and scruffy as it was now; and his skin had been a little more tan, rather than pale; and his eyes had a bit more of a shine to them, rather than looking dim and giving him a worn-out look.

"Yeah, I get it." He answered.

They heard voices just then, and saw the others coming. "…and that's when I noticed everyone switched bodies," Vincent was telling everyone.

"Crikey! An' I thought WE got into weird situations!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed.

"Hey, guys. We brought you some iced coffee and some muffins," Liz said.

"SWEET!" Zippy exclaimed, grabbing a muffin so fast you could barely see her hand.

"She likes muffins," Vincent said to the others when they arched eyebrows.

"So we've noticed!" Oliver chuckled.

"I'm going to go over to Tengri and see how he's doing," Liz stated.

"I'll come too. Hopefully he's well enough to give us a lift," Marcassin added, following her.

"We'll start packing up camp once Zeke and Esther are awake," Oliver said.

"Sounds good to me. Wake me when they're awake," Swaine said, crawling back in his tent.

"Oi, that's gotta be th' laziest prince I've ever seen," Mr. Drippy said.

*Whump!*

A pillow shot out of Swaine's tent and hit the fairy. "I heard that!" the thief shouted.

Vincent held up his wand. "I swear, if he doesn't lighten up on Mr. Drippy…" he whispered.

"Don't worry, Vince. Someone will get him for you," Zippy assured him.

He looked at her. "Are you saying that because you believe in karma, or because you have a crush on him?"

Zippy gave her boyfriend a glare.

"Hey, Zippy, some of the fairies said they saw you walking around last night," Oliver said. "…Well, actually, they said they saw a black-haired boy walking around, so it was either you or Zeke…"

Zippy turned to the young wizard, deciding she would continue glaring at Vincent later. "Yeah, it was me. They were hanging around the hot-springs. They said Smiley and Surly were having a new show this afternoon." She then remembered she had to pretend she didn't know everything about the otherworld, then changed her tone to a curious one. "Are they another pair of fairies?"

Oliver nodded. "Uh-huh. They do a comedy act. The fairies you saw last night told me the same thing, about them having some new material."

"Maybe we could check it out, if we're still on the island. What time does the show start?" Vincent asked.

"One o'clock. We can ask the others… though it would be a good idea to travel around and make sure the rest of the lands are alright, after what happened last night."

"Good point…"

"Only problem is we won't be going anywhere for a while," Marcassin stated as he walked back over. "Something is wrong with Tengri,"

Everyone looked over at the dragon, seeing Liz stroking his snout soothingly. "What's wrong with him?" Zippy asked, concerned.

"Well… he's blind."

"What?! I thought his vision was clearing up!" Oliver gasped.

"Esther said his vision was blurry. Apparently, that poison affected his vision pretty badly. I tried to heal him, but only managed to clear his eyesight for half a minute until it became cloudy again."

"Is he going to be alright?" Vincent asked.

"It's hard to say. Dragons can't handle poison too well," Mr. Drippy stated.

Vincent walked over to Tengri, the others following. "It's alright, Tengri, it'll be okay…" Liz was whispering to him.

"Mind if I talk to him?" Vincent asked, then turned to Tengri… and made hissing noises. "_hisssss—thhhh-sssss…"_

"What th' heck is he doin'?" Mr. Drippy questioned.

"It's called _parseltongue." _Zippy answered. "It's a gift that he inherited from his father- it allows him to speak to reptiles, mostly snakes."

"I know a spell like that- it's called Nature's Tongue, only it helps us talk to any animals," Oliver stated, then cast the spell now that it came to mind, and they understood the conversation between Vincent and Tengri.

"_I can't see, my vision is too cloudy." _Tengri was saying to Vincent. _"Does your magic have a solution that could help?"_

"_I believe so. But Marcassin said he already used his healing powers on you." _Vincent answered. _"Esther too. You should have been cured by now,"_

"_This poison isn't like any other… Because it came from an undead monster, it's harder to get rid of. Ordinary healing tonics and spells won't help."_

"That's awful! There has to be a way for us to cure it, somehow!"Oliver exclaimed.

"Hmm…" Marcassin rubbed his chin, pondering. "I think there is."

"What? What is it?" Mr. Drippy demanded.

"Well, this is only a theory, but there's this special herb I've read about, called _Everlasting Ivy. _It is said it can cure poisons and wounds emitted by ghouls, as if a ghoul harms you it is impossible for the damage to heal. It's called the everlasting ivy because its healing tonic can last for years- in fact, the plant itself never even withers, not even when plucked or smashed."

"So all we have to do is find this plant and use it to heal Tengri! Sounds easy enough! Where's it located?" Zippy asked.

"Well… that's the problem. The herb is basically endangered, since it's been uprooted over the years. I believe the only place it can be found is on the Tombstone Trail, or Miasma Marshes."

"We can still look for it, Tengri depends on it!" Oliver replied. "I can use _Fast-Travel_ so we can look, now that I've got enough magic,"

"Lets go wake up the others and look for that plant, then!" Liz declared, walking back to camp. "Ain't no way I'm gonna let such a sweet dragon suffer while I'm around!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After waking the others and telling them about the situation, everyone immediately packed up camp. Esther and Liz offered to stay behind and keep Tengri company, the familiar-tamer using her harp's healing power to give Tengri's vision a little relief.

"It never fails- I lay down for a nap, and all of a sudden we need to take off." Swaine griped.

"Heh, I'm glad I'm up, especially after this weird dream I had earlier!" Zeke responded. "I dreamt you and Zippy were in a hot-spring together!"

Zippy froze, blushed, and gave her brother a glare. "Don't you think you should keep things like that to yourself?!" she snapped.

"Hey, it was just a dream! Plus, it wasn't like you two were naked or anything…" Zeke paused, rubbing his chin. "Although… I'm not sure whether or not Swaine was wearing bottoms…"

*KLONK!*

Zippy slammed her fist over her brother's head, her face a new shade of red. Swaine, during this, had only awkwardly turned away, trying to hide his own embarrassment.

"Oi! Are ya goin' to keep bashin' youer brother's brains in, or are ye gonna come wit' us?!" Mr. Drippy called.

"Coming!" Zippy replied, quickly walking over, Swaine following.

"Ugh… can we wait until the world stops spinning?" Zeke groaned, rubbing his aching head.

"Hurry back!" Esther called.

"Don't worry, we'll be back as soon as we find the everlasting ivy. Be careful while we're gone!" Oliver called back.

"We will!" Liz replied.

Oliver cast _Fast-Travel. _In a whirl, Vincent, Zippy, and Zeke found themselves standing in an eerie location with the young wizard, sage, thief, and Lord High Lord of the Fairies.

Now, in the game, the Tombstone Trail didn't look all that frightening. Just a dark trail with a few creatures wandering around, looking like an abandoned cemetery-sort-of-place on a dark, cloudy day… but in real life, it was chilling enough to look like something from the _Silent Hill _games! Dark clouds lingered in the sky, so thick that even in the daytime it looked like night. While it was supposed to look dead everywhere, it actually appeared as if everything had been dead and rotting for ages! Creepy sounds echoed around too- not regular sounds like the wind blowing or owls hooting, but low moans from the distance, rattling sounds that either came from chains or bones, and occasionally the sound of a whisper which was either the wind… or some wandering soul.

Zippy quickly reached for Vincent's hand… though, failed to notice that Vincent was behind her, and instead grabbed Oliver's instead. "What's wrong?" the young wizard asked her.

"Ah! Um, nothing. Just… a bit spooked. Didn't think the Tombstone Trail would be this eerie in real life," Zippy admitted.

"Scared, are we?" Swaine teased.

"Weren't you?" Vincent challenged.

"Oi, focus ya rotters! We got a plant to find, remember?!" Mr. Drippy spoke up.

"Right. Marcassin, what does the everlasting ivy look like?" Oliver asked the young sage.

"It's a plant with a white stem, and only four leaves of different sizes- the one on the top is the shortest, the two on the sides are a couple inches longer and equal the same length as each other, and the bottom one is the longest." Marcassin replied.

"So, like this?" Zippy asked, having sketched the idea of what the plant looked like.

"Yes, only the leaves aren't curved- the ends of them actually look more like arrows. They're also purple with a golden trim, so it should be easy to find,"

Zippy altered the sketch to match the description, then looked around. "So… where do we start?"

"We could split up and take different trails." Oliver answered.

"Hold it right there, k-k-kids!" came a raspy voice, and everyone looked, seeing a skeleton wearing ragged clothes and having receding, gray hair (which seemed to be falling out) approach them. "Sorry, Oliver, but your new c-c-comrades c-c-can't walk-k-k the trail. You know that only the dead are allowed to c-c-cross this border."

"Oh… I forgot. Um, one moment," Oliver turned to the others, casting the _Poison Apple _spell- a spell that could give anyone the appearance of death. He handed an apple to Vincent, Zippy, and Zeke. "Here, take a bite of these. It'll help fool everyone into thinking you died,"

"Funny- I always saw myself more as Belle, not Snow White," Zippy joked.

"Huh?" Marcassin asked.

"It's a reference to some fairytales. Zippy, just bite the apple," Zeke replied, slightly embarrassed by his sister's joke, since no one would understand it yet.

Zippy shrugged, then bit the apple. "Hmm, not bad, though I prefer oran-"

*thud!*

She hit the ground. Vincent bit his next as well as Zeke, both of them dropping like flies.

"C-C-Crikey, why is it that every time some living-beat soul eats an apple here, they drop dead?!" the skeleton questioned, then shrugged, turning around. "Ah well. HEY STUART! Grab the wheelbarrow! We've got some live- er, dead ones, here!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"_These new allies prove more skilled than we thought," the figure rasped, as he and Cobayne looked into the image, seeing a vision of the monster, Tyson, sinking back into a chasm under the sea. "And one of them not only is a seer, but also a portal-maker! No doubt he has had a vision of us already!"_

"_Calm yourself, master. The boy stated that he cannot control his seer power, only bits of the future come to him at random." Cobayne answered, then suddenly his eyes began to glow a bright-blue color. "My vision foretells me of this- he is too young to master such power, and cannot age, therefore lacks the maturity needed to control it."_

"_And what of the others? What do you see of them?"_

"_The Black Alchemist shall fall alongside the Pure-Hearted One; the two girls are too weak and will surely be vulnerable."_

"_Good, good, so we can still… wait, two girls?"_

"_Yes… It turns out the so-called 'boy' with the white bandana is truly a girl- a girl who appears strong, but there is something we can do to weaken her." He turned to the figure. "For such a task, I must go to the village, master, and find one of our allies."_

"_So be it… And you had better hope victory will make up for your failures,"_

_Cobayne only nodded, then disappeared into the shadows, walking down a dark tunnel that lead out of the cavern._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_So… that's what it feels like to actually die, _Zeke thought, opening his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was they were walking up a trail.

The second thing he noticed was that Marcassin was carrying him. "H-Huh?" he gasped quietly, his face blushing.

Marcassin looked at him. "Ah, you're finally awake. How do you feel?" the sage asked him.

"Um, fine…" _He's even more hansom up close! …and more like Howl than I realized. _He thought.

"Can you walk?"

Zeke meekly nodded, and Marcassin set him down. He looked over, seeing that Swaine had one of Vincent's arms slung around his shoulders, the thief half-dragging, half-carrying the Black Alchemist. Oliver and Mr. Drippy were carrying Zippy- the young wizard having his arms hooked under her armpits while the fairy lifted her by the ankles.

"Ugh… man, next time Zeke drops dead, I'll have reference," Zippy commented, slowly coming to. She looked up at Oliver. "Any reason why you're carrying me?"

"Would ye have rather taken a ride in a wheelbarrow an' dumped somewhere?" Mr. Drippy retorted, setting her ankles down, allowing her to stand up. "Ye should be greatful, lass- haulin' ye up this far wasn't easy!"

"At least you lot carried the light-weights," Swaine grunted, still supporting Vincent. "I'm about to throw my back out, holding this guy up!"

Vincent lifted his head, glaring at the thief. "Like hauling your ass everywhere wouldn't be a workout," he sneered.

"What the hell…?! How long have you've been awake?!"

"From the minute Mr. Drippy talked about a wheelbarrow ride," Vincent pulled away from Swaine, rubbing his head. "Yeesh, talk about a head-rush… you'd think after 'dying' all pain would go away,"

"Well, at least now you guys can walk on the Tombstone Trail with us." Oliver said.

"Right-o, lets split up an' get searchin' for that plant, then!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed. "Who wants tah to wit' who?"

"I'll go with Marcassin," Swaine said, giving Vincent a stern glance.

"And I'll go with Zippy," Vincent added, returning the glare.

"Hold it. You guys haven't been here before. I think it's fair that Swaine and Marcassin both go with one of each of you, to help guide you." Oliver suggested.

_I swear, if Zippy calls 'dibs' on Swaine again, I'm going to sell her copy of the game! _Zeke thought, giving Zippy a suspicious look- after all, Swaine was his favorite character too! Well, one of them at least. Actually, it was hard to decide between him and…

"I'll go with Zeke, then." Marcassin spoke up.

Zeke felt himself blush again. "Alright, that's cool with me." He replied, shrugging in order to keep cool… though inside his mind he was practically screaming like a fan-girl.

Zippy, meanwhile, was about to call dibs on Swaine (again), though remembered the talk Liz had with her. _"You might break Vincent's heart without knowing it," _she had said, giving the tomboy a pang of guilt. …Not to mention, after the awkward scene that had taken place just a couple hours ago, walking around with the thief alone was the last thing they should do.

"I'll go with Oliver," she said instead.

"Alright! Zippy an' Drippy- teamin' up wit' Ollie-boy! Tidy!" the fairy replied.

Vincent and Swaine exchanged glances. Suddenly, the thief was wishing someone had offered to go with him- then again, it was better than Zippy calling 'dibs'… yet he didn't really trust Vincent. Out of the rest of the group, the Black Alchemist seemed more mysterious- as if his odd nickname didn't give it away already!

The Black Alchemist himself wasn't too thrilled either. He didn't really have much against Swaine outside of his cynical attitude- he was pretty good with a gun, especially when it came to opening green chests in the game, and knew some good trick shots. There was only one thing that really bugged him. _Geez, why did I have to get stuck with the guy with the wide, soul-less eyes?! _He thought, then sighed. _It's alright… just don't make too much eye-contact. …yeesh, I feel like he's staring right into my soul…_

_Something is definitely up with this guy, _Swaine thought, suspiciously. _He has to be hiding something… especially since he's avoiding eye-contact._

"Alright, lets get moving. Tengri is depending on us," Oliver stated, and walked up one trail with Zippy and Mr. Drippy, while Zeke and Marcassin went up another.

Swaine turned to Vincent once the others were out of sight, both of them having started walking up another trail. "Lets get something straight- I don't trust you," the thief said, firmly. "I don't know how you really got here, or the real reason why, or what you have to do with this creep that's after us… but mark my words, if you do anything to hurt my friends-"

"I don't harm those who don't deserve it," Vincent replied, sternly. "And I don't know who's after us either… but it was bad enough one evil sorcerer messed up my life, so you can be sure as hell I won't let it happen again. You may not trust me, but given the circumstances, you don't really have a choice, do you?"

Swaine only glared. "Watch it. One wrong move, and you're target-practice." He walked ahead, looking back at him. "I've got my eyes on you, 'Black Alchemist',"

Vincent only sneered, until the thief looked away, then let out a shiver. _Make it harder on me, why don't you?! _He thought, continuing to walk, looking around for the everlasting ivy.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: FF2 always joked about the design of Swaine's eyes, so I decided to add that little tid-bit to add on to the humor XD …But, seriously, hopefully the two of them don't end up killing each other. :P And what could our antagonists be up to now? Wait and see.

Please review, but don't flame unless you want to be buried alive. (ps, thank God they never made that mistake on the Tombstone Trail)


	9. Truth is Stranger than Fiction

HOLY snap guys, sorry for keeping this on hiatus for so long! Luckily after chatting with FF2, I have become inspired :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Ni No Kuni, just myself and any OC that may appear- same goes with the other authors.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zeke and Marcassin were searching around a couple graves, keeping an eye out for the Everlasting Ivy, though all they were finding were dead weeds, nightshades, and withered bushes. As they searched, many thoughts preyed on Zeke's mind- namely about his visions… and the fact that he was alone with one of his favorite characters.

Mostly the latter.

_First I wake up in his arms, now I'm searching for a plant with him! Oh, I hope this isn't a delusional dream caused by that Poison Apple spell… _Zeke was thinking, then shook his head. _Agh, focus Zeke! Just find the ivy, help save the world, and THEN you can think about how cool the situation is!_

"Zeke," Marcassin spoke up just then.

_OH EM GEE, HE SAID MY NAME! _Zeke thought, giving an excited jolt, but calmed himself and turned to the prince. "Yes, your majesty?" he replied, formally.

"I was wondering, how long have you've been having visions?"

Zeke shrugged. "As long as I can remember, probably since WG and I were both 13- the only time we were the same age."

"So you're ageless and can see into the future. Interesting… How did you find out?"

Zeke looked up at the stars. "When I was sent back in time. These villains, who worked for that dark sorcerer Finneas, cast me back 60 years- if my math is correct. When time started to go by, I noticed that I remained the same… and when I gazed into the future, I noticed only the others changed."

"You had been sent back in time?"

"Yes. The villains thought doing so would help them fulfill their plans… But, I just continued on, up to the day where I had been sent back in the first place, and carried on as if nothing ever happened."

"I see… Zippy mentioned you also have the ability to open portals, given to you by your other sister, WG. …Exactly, how are you all related?"

"Truth be told, it's more of an adopted-relationship. I have no idea who my parents are… or any memory of my past at all. WG's family took me in, though I remained a vagabond- being ageless, I didn't want to burden them, and continued to travel."

"And you come from another realm, is that correct?"

Zeke paused. "Huh?"

"Zippy brought up going to another realm… But she said she wouldn't say until she found out how much I could handle her 'level of sanity'."

Zeke shook his head. "Yeah, you have to pardon her- she's insane at times. But yes, there are other realms out there outside of yours and Oliver's. We call it the 'Tooniverse',"

"Is there a way to get there from this world?"

"Not that I know of. The only way we got here was by landing in Oliver's world first, then learning the Gateway spell."

Marcassin gave him a suspicious glance. "So… you all lied when you said you heard the story from someone in Oliver's world,"

_Crud. _Zeke thought. "Well… yes, but that's because we didn't think you'd believe the truth- possibly think us insane. …I mean, imagine if all of you were in our situation- coming across another world where you knew tales about it, yet no one would understand."

"You do have a point. But I expect you to be honest from now on- with all that's happened, I have reasons to count you all as suspects."

Zeke shook his head. "We would never work against you, your majesty. You see, we're very inspired by your tales… actually, some of us can relate to you all. Vincent and Oliver, especially…"

"And how did you really find out about our world?"

"I once had a vision about your tale," This was true, as Zeke had visualized the release of the game, and how Vincent and Zippy got into it. "Then, while we were travelling a couple days ago… well, something went awry and we ended up in Oliver's world, and followed him here…" he rubbed his chin. "To tell the truth… things had been going awry since we arrived. First we unexpectedly find ourselves in Motorville, then while travelling to this world we end up separated, then that monster attack… It's like…"

"Like whoever caused all this wants you here, in order to destroy you?"

"Yes… No different than those villains sending me back in time!" he looked at the young sage. "Prince Marcassin, I don't believe our encounter was by accident."

"I was about to say the same thing," Marcassin looked down the trail. "We should regroup with the others. There's no Everlasting Ivy around here,"

They began walking down the trail, to catch up with the others. "So… what else did my sister tell you about me?"

"Not much… to tell the truth, I didn't really feel like asking her any more questions,"

"Why is that?"

Marcassin looked at him. "Like you said, she's insane!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

With Zippy, she was searching for the Everlasting Ivy by the Crypt Casino with Oliver, as well as telling him about the mysterious voice she heard by the hot-springs (though left out the awkward moment she and Swaine went through). "I'm telling you, Oliver, it's like some creep has been stalking us since before we got here!" she was telling him. "First we end up separated during the Gateway spell, then some monster attacks, and now some eerie voice is disrupting my morning serenity!"

"Yeah, it does sound creepy," Oliver replied. "Question is, why do they want us gone so bad?"

"Probably jus' another Shadar runnin' 'bout. Quite annoying, it is- like every time we stop some baddie, another one pops up!" Mr. Drippy stated. "We stop th' Dark Djinn, but suddenly th' White Witch comes along; then we stop her, but a bunch o' Zodiarch's are ready fer a fight! Then here we were, ready tah relax, when suddenly Zippy an' her friends are showin' up followed by trouble!"

"A hero's work is never done, I suppose." Zippy sighed. "Ah well- beats the heck out of sitting home alone on a Saturday night watching TV!"

Oliver looked at her. "You seem pretty laid-back about it. Aren't you worried?"

Zippy shrugged. "A little, but I'm used to situations like these."

"Yeah? How many life-endangerin' treks have ye been on?" Mr. Drippy questioned.

Zippy began counting on her fingers. "I lost count after seventeen."

"Jeepers!" Oliver replied, eyes wide. "How do you guys get in so much trouble?"

"Sometimes we just end up in the wrong place at the wrong time… or danger just hunts us down. However it happens, we always manage to get out." She looked around a corner. "Right now, we'd better find that Everlasting Ivy,"

"Right-o, back to searchin'," Mr. Drippy agreed.

Oliver continued searching as well. "So… do you know why Vincent calls himself the Black Alchemist?" he asked. "I mean, how did he get that name?"

Zippy was quiet for a moment, before looking at the young wizard. "That, Oliver, is something he'll have to tell you- because I don't even know." She replied.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

With the Black Alchemist, he was searching up a trail near the mountain-side, while Swaine was looking around some trees on the opposite side. However, unlike the others, they weren't striking much conversation- actually, most of the time the thief would be looking over at Vincent to make sure he wasn't pulling anything… while Vincent would get a chill, feeling his eyes on him. _Seriously, Miyazaki, why did you have to give him such soul-less eyes… ah, heck, I'm done venting about it. _He thought. _Gotta focus on saving Tengri!_

"Nothing over here," he sighed after fifteen minutes of searching.

"Same here…" Swaine answered. "C'mon, lets go find the others, maybe they found something."

Vincent nodded, and they walked down the trail in silence.

"So… how did you really find out about our world? Because I doubt one guy just knew everything about us, if everything happened only a short time ago,"

Vincent shrugged. "Truth is stranger than fiction. You might not understand,"

Swaine gave him a sneer. "Try me."

"Alright… We come from another time. We come from the future where everyone knows your story, yet somehow we ended up in this time, and followed Oliver to this world, wanting to check it out until we can figure out how to get back."

Swaine looked at him, then scoffed. "That's not so strange- we've been sent back in time before," he slowed his pace, looking down at the ground as the memory passed through his mind, but shook his head. "But, if you know our story so well, you must know that already- probably used it as an alibi to cover up your real reason,"

"I don't believe in stealing other's material. ...Would you really believe us if we told you the truth straightforward?"

The thief crossed his arms. "I still don't believe you."

"I rest my case."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Everyone met up by the Crypt Casino 20 minutes later. Marcassin decided he would tell the others about Zeke's confession later, until their crisis was solved; Swaine decided not to say a word, namely because he still didn't believe Vincent.

"I can't believe it. We search the whole trail, but no sign of that plant," Swaine muttered.

"You think someone picked it already?" Oliver guessed.

"Maybe we could ask around," Zeke suggested. "Surely some of the ghouls around here know about it,"

"Should've thought o' that before, mun!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed.

"Right, lets head inside the Crypt Casino, we can ask in there," Oliver said.

They went inside… and Zippy's eyes widened from all the flashing lights on the slot machines, her gaze drifting to the Black Jack tables, the bar, and the skeletons and ghouls cashing in their winnings. "Mom would flip if she saw this place," she whispered.

"What was that, Zippy?" Marcassin asked.

"It's just… it's more amazing than from what I heard, in here."

"Yeah well, remember- we're here to get answers, not play the slots." Vincent said.

"That en't stopping him," Mr. Drippy stated, pointing at Zeke, sitting at a slot-machine.

"Please take dollar-bills, please take dollar-bills…" Zeke was whispering.

Zippy sighed. "Pardon my brother- he's never been allowed in a casino before." She muttered, then walked over to her brother. "They only take guilders, dude… and in case you haven't noticed, we're broke!"

"Dang it…" Zeke groaned.

"Oh man, I forgot we're going to need money," Vincent muttered to himself.

"I hope you don't expect to mooch off us- oof!" Swaine began to remark, until Mr. Drippy nudged him.

"Don't worry mun- jus' do a few favors, an' you'll get a few guilders saved up!" Mr. Drippy said.

"C'mon, lets see if anyone knows where to find the Ivy," Zippy said, taking out the picture she had sketched.

They walked around, asking every skeleton, witch, and ghoul about the plant, yet they either ignored them as they were too busy with their games, or claimed they hadn't been dead long enough to hear about it.

After about an hour of asking, they finally got a reprieve, from a witch working at the Black Jack tables. "Yes, I've seen that plant before." She said. "It used to grow by the bridge many years ago,"

"Many years ago? Used to?" Zeke questioned.

"That's what I said. It was picked by a man who came on the trail, wanting to find a unique flower to complete a bouquet to give to the love of his life."

"Very sweet- any clue where this guy is, now?" Zippy replied, bluntly.

"I don't know… But that was the last Everlasting Ivy that grew around here,"

"Around here… Are you saying it can grow in other places?" Marcassin asked.

"Yes. There's actually a small village not far from here- Midnight Manor, a tiny piece of land full of supernatural creatures who love the night. Last I checked, someone had a garden full of them,"

"Great! Can you tell us how to get there?" Oliver asked.

"Of course. Go down the trail that leads to the cliff to the east, then jump."

"Um… jump?" Swaine questioned.

"Yes. It's the only way to get there… it's also the reason the village doesn't get many visitors,"

"Thank you," Marcassin replied.

They exited the casino, going down the trail. "Are we really going to jump off a cliff?" Zippy asked.

"Well, maybe it's not that high," Vincent replied. "Maybe it even slants a bit, so we can slide."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The cliff was 1,000 feet high and straight-up steep with a rocky wall with prickled vines growing down the edges.

"Got any more bright ideas?" Swaine asked.

"Don't start with me, thief," Vincent growled.

"There has to be another way down, or at least a spell…" Oliver said, looking through his Wizard's Companion.

"Doesn't look like it, Ollie-Boy. We may have to jump, or find one heck o' a ladder," Mr. Drippy replied.

"Who'd be crazy enough to jump off a cliff?!" Swaine questioned.

"Excuse me!" Zippy called, rushing by-

And jumping off the cliff!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Talk about a cliff-hanger… or, cliff-jumper XD *gets hit by a coconut* …sorry for the bad pun.

Please review, leave constructive criticism, and we'll see how this turns out.

No flames or I'll throw you off the cliff.


	10. Midnight Manor

And now for another quick update before I lose focus on this story.

Also, this chapter will feature a 'cameo' of my fellow author, Moonlesscat. (I hope you enjoy, Moon)

Disclaimer: Still own nothing. Moving on!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"ZIPPY!" Oliver cried in alarm.

"Flippin' heck!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed.

"Is she bloody insane?!" Swaine shouted.

"Just give it a minute…" Vincent advised, calmly.

Everyone looked over the edge…

"_Wheeeeeeeeee!"_

…seeing Zippy soaring down on a hang-glider!

"What the…?! Where'd she get that… that thing?!" Marcassin stammered.

"Her backpack. She's always prepared for anything," Zeke replied, then shrugged. "Well, my turn!" He then jumped next!

"Good grief, these kids are suicidal!" Mr. Drippy cried, watching as Zeke plummeted to the ground.

"…you're not going to jump next, are you?" Oliver asked Vincent, who shook his head.

They watched the cliff-diving duo, seeing them disappear into the fog lingering halfway down. "Do you think they're alright?" Marcassin asked. "I mean, Zeke can't die and Zippy… well, she's got that strange flying mechanism…"

"It's called a hang-glider," Vincent answered. "She likes to carry it around… Trust me, this isn't the first time she leaped over a thousand-foot-high ledge. It's practically her hobby!"

"Great, we're hanging out with a suicidal nut and his psychotic sister," Swaine muttered. "You REALLY know how to pick 'em, Vincent."

Vincent gave the thief a glare.

"I wonder if they've reached bottom yet," Oliver wondered out loud.

They waited near the ledge, though a couple minutes later, Zippy's voice rang out, "Alright guys, lets get moving!"

"How does she expect US to get down there?" Mr. Drippy scoffed.

A portal then opened before them. On the other side it showed Zippy and Zeke standing in a foggy location.

"…Ah."

They all stepped through, and everyone but Vincent gave them looks. "You know, you really should warn people before you do something crazy!" Swaine said to them.

"And miss out on their shocked expressions? That would take the fun out of it!" Zippy remarked.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked Zeke.

"Yeah… though I'm going to need new clothes," Zeke replied, pointing at his shirt and jeans, which were ripped and full of holes. "During my fall I kind of slammed into some thorn-bushes growing up the cliff and totally shredded my outfit,"

"Ah, ya needed more clothes anyway, mun. Th' way youe're dressed, I'm surprised th' ghouls at th' casino weren't gawkin' at ya!" Mr. Drippy replied.

"Maybe Midnight Manor has a shop you can browse at," Zippy said.

"I thought we were searching for a cure for Tengri, not going shopping," Swaine commented.

"Then why are we listening to your criticism for? Lets get to Midnight Manor," Vincent replied, earning a glare from the thief.

"Right, lets go," Oliver said, and they started walking.

Zeke leaned toward Zippy. "I think your boyfriend is going to axe off the thief," he whispered.

"Is that a vision, or are you just pointing out the obvious?" Zippy replied.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Meanwhile, Liz and Esther sat by Tengri. Esther was sipping an iced-coffee, having used up most of her magic trying to relieve Tengri of his blindness. Liz, in the meantime, strummed her guitar, hoping the music would help lift the dragon's spirits, as miserable as he looked.

"That's a lovely tune you're playing," Esther said to her. "What's it called?"

"_La Sienne, _I heard it from a movie once." Liz answered.

"A movie… Oh, you mean those moving-pictures on those large screens, right? Oliver told me about those before."

Liz nodded. "They are quite good- especially the cartoons,"

"Hee hee, those are my favorite… It's so bizarre, like you're looking at a whole different world. …Sometimes, I think there's a world like it, like another world outside of this one and Motorville,"

Liz grinned- if only she could tell Esther such a world did exist. "It would be amazing,"

"So… what's your part of the world like? I mean, you say you come from Oliver's world… yet you all seem so different- bringing up such things like Ink Alchemy, and a wizardry school, and your weapons seem different…"

"Well, not all parts of the world are the same, Esther… Kind of like how parts of your world are different. Some towns are like Oliver's- small, quaint, and not too exciting; and some are like New York or Texas- big buildings, long ranges, people everywhere, often dangerous… Some places have everything, while other places have only as much as they can manage."

"New York and Texas… are they other countries?"

"States. America is a country made up of fifty states, all which tend to have their own thing- some have mountains and large cities, while others just have plains and small towns. My folks used to live in New York, but moved to Texas after some time, since my mama missed her hometown."

"What's your family like?"

"Well… not like your average family. My folks, cousins, and a few of our friends have been facing danger since they were all teenagers in high-school. They helped us take out that sorcerer, Finneas, plus a few other creeps."

"That must have been a tough childhood,"

"Sort of, but then again the world isn't easy when you're a werewolf,"

Esther arched an eyebrow. "A what?"

"I'll show you… but please promise not to freak out,"

"Um, alright…"

Liz knelt down and traced a crescent in the ground. Esther watched in shock as she turned into Tracker, and Tengri gave a soft growl. "It's alright, Tengri, it's still me,"

The familiar-tamer blinked several times, unable to believe it. "Oh… oh my! You can change into a creature? That's… That's incredible!"

"Heh heh, well, you're taking it better than Swaine did last night. He couldn't keep his knees from knocking together!"

"You mean Swaine knows?" Esther crossed her arms. "You'd think he would have told us about it this morning… I swear, he can be such a pain!"

"True, though he's not the first pain in the neck I've met. …Actually, he would get along great with my dad's best friend,"

"Is he a werewolf, too?"

"No… well, he used to be, but they separated."

Once again, Esther looked at her in confusion. "Separated?"

"Yeah… They used a spell that separates a human from their werewolf half, so they could live their own lives. …WG and Shaun did the same thing with their werewolf halves, but for different reasons."

"Who's WG and Shaun?"

"WG is a close friend of mine, and Shaun is my cousin. We've been a team for as long as I can remember…" she looked out at the ocean. "Sometimes, I hope to see their werewolf-halves, Silver and Stalker, again."

"They sound nice. …Do Zippy and Vincent know them, too?"

Tracker smirked. "Better than I do… Speaking of which, I wonder how their search is going?"

"I hope they haven't run into any trouble…" Esther leaned against Tengri, strumming her harp again.

_Chances are… probably. _Tracker thought, but didn't say so not to worry Esther.

"_You have a bad feeling, don't you?" _Tengri asked her.

"Huh? Did you talk to me?" The she-wolf asked.

"_Yes. Amazing you can understand me. Then again, I suppose from one creature to another, it's pretty simple to chat,"_

"I guess so…"

"Who are you talking to?" Esther asked Tracker.

"Tengri… apparently, I can understand him,"

"Amazing… What is he saying?"

"He just sensed I had a bad feeling..." she looked down at the ground. "Namely about our friends. I'm really concerned about them,"

Esther nodded. "So am I. …But, we shouldn't worry. My friends are quite strong, and can get through any situation,"

Tracker smiled. "So can mine… Still, I can't help but worry- something bad always tends to happen to us… like it's a pattern in our lives," She sighed and sat down.

Esther sat down beside her. "You must have been through a lot…"

"You don't know the half of it… You know how I said our parents had been getting into trouble since they were teens? Well, one time their latest trouble lasted up to 20 years,"

The familiar-tamer's eyes widened. "20 years?! What happened?!"

"Werewolf hunters… They targeted my mother's family first, then when my dad and his friends helped her out, the hunters started going after them. It almost felt like no one would feel safe- that is, until we took out Finneas, and we were finally able to move on in our lives in peace. …That's why I'm so worried now. Someone is after us for who knows what reason, and… I just don't want anything to happen to them,"

Esther patted her on the back. "Things will turn out alright… I'm sure they're finding the Everlasting Ivy and preparing to come back as we speak!"

Tracker only smiled, giving a nod.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Midnight Manor was twice as eerie as the Tombstone Trail. At the border of the village were a line of headstones that spelled out the name of the town, a couple skeletons slumped against or hanging over them. "Welc-c-come to Midnight Manor! Feel free to-" the first skeleton began to say, having a British accent.

"Oy, what're ye doin'?!" The second skeleton, who had a Scottish accent, snapped at the other. "It's my turn to welc-c-come the tourists, ye blok-k-ke!"

"What?! No it's not! You gave the introduce-c-ction last time!"

"That was TWO HUNDRED years ago! …or has it been three?"

"Um, hello. Does anyone here know where we can find the Everlasting Ivy?" Oliver asked, politely.

"Oh, yes! A young ghoul here grows them in her garden, by C-C-Creepy Plaza," The Scottish skeleton replied.

"No, you ninny, she lives in the Morbid Mansion on C-C-Caretaker Avenue!" The British skeleton replied.

"Agh, never mind! You'll know where she lives- jus' look fer a large garden loaded with Everlasting Ivy's, thorn bushes, an' an Evil Queen familiar lurkin' 'round th' yard,"

"Her familiar isn't an Evil Queen, it's a Shrimpaler! Honestly, I think you've been hanging around the wall too long,"

"Ya mean I've been hanging OVER th' wall too long, ha!"

The British skeleton shook his head. "Why did I have to get stuck working with this imbecile…?"

"Um, thank you," Marcassin said, and they walked into the town.

They didn't know what to expect- maybe a few ghoul-ish familiars lurking around, or some more skeletons strolling down the street. What they saw was actually unexpected- werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and several ghouls with blue skin and yellowed eyes… and that was only down the first street!

"Most of these creatures look like Tracker…" Swaine stated.

"Oh, so you've met Tracker, huh?" Zeke guessed.

"Yeah… next time, give us a heads-up of what species you lot are,"

"Vincent told me about it last night," Oliver said, then looked around."I didn't know werewolves existed here, too…"

"Yes, but they're not exactly called 'werewolves'- if that's what you'd call them in your world," came a voice, and they looked over, seeing a man with pale-white skin, bright electric-blue eyes, black hair, and wearing a dark suit… and sporting fangs. He was sitting on a brick wall built by a shop.

"Huh?" Marcassin gasped. The man wasn't there before…

"Around here, we call these creatures _Howlunars. _But, I'm not surprised you don't know- we don't get many tourists around here,"

"Who are you?" Oliver asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself- My name is Elric. Elric Maxwell Smite. I happen to be an _Acrybat, _unless you have a different term for that, too."

"You look like a good friend of mine- though we refer to him as a vampire," Vincent said.

"I see… Well, does your vampire friend have a shop of his own?"

"Actually, yes. He sells wands,"

Elric laughed. "Small world! So do I!" he jumped down, and studied Oliver's wand, Astra. "I can tell you all have a keen sense in your wizarding tools… Ah, Astra, I remember crafting this wand for the Wizard King himself,"

"You _make_ wands, too?" Marcassin asked.

"It's more of a hobby, but it does good for business… Hmm?" he looked at Vincent's wand. "However, I've never seen a wand like this one before… Yes, I can tell there's something other-worldly about it."

"Well, yes, that's because we come from another world," Zippy told him.

"Fascinating… However, I'm afraid your wand won't do you much good here. I can sense it's power is unbalanced in this world- the change of location has made it… how should I put it?... quirky."

"What do you mean? This is the best wand I have!" Vincent replied.

"Maybe in your world, but here it's as good as an inexperienced familiar in a high-class boss-battle: it'll do it's tricks, but it won't be powerful enough… in fact, it feels as if its magic is practically powered out!"

"Ouch, so what do you recommend? That Vincent buys a new wand?" Zeke asked.

"If he wants- but I could also mend his wand here, so that it can work magic in both worlds. …however, it would take a matter of two weeks,"

"I'll think it over. Right now, we need to find an Everlasting Ivy," Vincent said, pocketing his wand.

"Suit yourself… And if you want an Everlasting Ivy, Bloodmoon is the one you seek,"

"Who?" Zippy asked.

"Bloodmoon, she's a ghoul who lives in Morbid Mansion, right down the street." Elric pointed in a western direction. "I'm sure she can help you out."

"Thank you," Oliver replied, and they walked down the street.

"And if you're ever in need of a wand or some other magical items, you're welcome in my shop!"

Vincent smirked, shaking his head. _Wait until I tell Edwin about this, _he thought, thinking about his vampire friend.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Morbid Mansion lived up to its name. The large house was pitch black, the yard dead save for a garden by the iron, spiked fence, and ghoul-ish familiars lingered around. On the porch stood a girl, with long dark hair, a dark outfit, and red eyes. "And who might you be?" she asked.

"I'm Oliver, and these are my friends. Are you Bloodmoon?" Oliver asked.

"Yes. What brings you here?"

"We need an Everlasting Ivy. It's for our sick dragon," Marcassin replied.

Bloodmoon nodded. "I see… But I can't give you any, I'm afraid."

"What? Why?!" Zeke asked.

"My garden is off-limits. You see, I grow many herbs back there to use for some of my home-made potions. I'm a wiccan-ghoul, and help everyone around the village, or sell ingredients to anyone who wants to make a potion themselves… However, many have been breaking into my garden and stealing from it, so I had one of my pets guard it."

"I see… Well, could you get it for us?" Oliver asked.

"I would… but unfortunately, I can't even get into my garden. The creature I have back there has grown quite territorial. Sadly, I don't know what got into him, and I've tried everything to get by him- putting him to sleep, using fire, water and other elements against him- I even turned myself into a dragon! But he wouldn't let up."

"You turned into a dragon?" Swaine questioned.

"Of course, we ghouls can do anything we put our mind to."

"Bloodmoon, it's really important we get that Ivy. If we manage to get past your pet, could we take one?" Vincent asked.

"You can try, but no one's gotten past Ebony and lived,"

"…thankfully I'm immortal…" Zeke muttered.

"Well, lets meet this 'Ebony', and have a go at him," Zippy said.

"Aye, lets see how bad this pet o' yours is!" Mr. Drippy agreed.

Bloodmoon shrugged then lead them to the garden, inside a large greenhouse with bars over it. She unlocked the door and showed them the way inside. In front of them there was a sign that read, "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here,".

"Um, quick question- is there anyone else in town who grows Everlasting Ivy?" Swaine asked, suddenly having second thoughts.

"No, just me." Bloodmoon replied.

"…go figure."

There was a hissing sound, and the ground began to shake… and out of the ground shot a large snake with scales blacker than black with silver scales sticking up down its spine, red eyes, long fangs… and breathing fire! "GAH! What is that?!" Zippy shouted, jumping back.

"That's Ebony," Bloodmoon replied.

Before anyone had time to react, the giant snake let out a hiss and struck-

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: And we're in another battle! :D (Moon, I hope you liked your cameo… and 'pet').

Please review, but no flames or you're snake-food.


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